


Feathers and Blades

by PrinceofDespair



Series: Feathers and Blades Series [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), Thomas Sanders, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Angst, Established Relationship, Fantasy, Fluff, M/M, Magic, Winged!Virgil
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-02-09 13:46:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 54,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12889182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinceofDespair/pseuds/PrinceofDespair
Summary: “You don’t ever have to hide who you are around me…”Everyone has their secrets. Besides his wings, Virgil has his mysterious, shadow-like powers that he has yet to learn how to control. As for his boyfriend, Roman? Well…he has something far more complex to hide and he’s desperate to forever keep his secrets just that; secret. Because what Virgil doesn’t know can’t hurt him…right?Or simply: Of stubborn princes and Dragon Witches.This fic is currently on a hiatus. It is absolutely NOT abandoned, don’t worry!





	1. Sleeping Beauty

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N:** Hi guys! So this is the story I wrote during NaNoWriMo. There's a lot more angst in this one then what I usually write, so, um, whoops! Also, it's going to be fairly long, so I'm posting a chapter twice a week, Sat and Wed. One more thing to keep in mind, because this fic does get a bit dark at some point: there will be a happy ending. 
> 
> Okay, I hope you enjoy it!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman muses about his boyfriend's needs, or lack thereof.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Minor negative thinking, minor swearing.

_“Hey, Virgil?”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“...you know I'd do anything for you, right?”_

_“What?!?”_

_Roman has to bite his tongue to keep from laughing as Virgil suddenly sits straight up next to him. He looks down at the prince and frowns. He always looked so cute when he was pouting._

_“Where the hell did that come from?”_

_Roman shrugs and then crosses his arms behind his head, “I don't know. It's late and I'm getting sentimental, I suppose.”_

_Virgil stares at him blankly for a few seconds and then deadpans, “You're a dumbass.”_

_Roman makes a thoroughly offended gasp and sits up too. “Excuse me! I was trying to have a moment with you!”_

_“Yeah? Well I'm trying to relax and I don't need you being all weird and shit. Knock it off.”_

_Now it was Roman's turn to pout, but Virgil just rolls his eyes at him and then plops back down in the grass. Sighing, he joins him and goes back to looking up at the night sky. Stargazing in Roman's realm was becoming a rather frequent activity between the two of them, something to help unwind at the end of the day or whenever Thomas had finally decided to turn in for the night. The stars were nice, but spending some alone time together was even better, though neither one was brave enough to admit that just yet._

_After a couple beats of silence, Virgil very quietly says, “...same though.”_

_Roman turns his head back towards him, though his gaze is not met. “Hm?”_

_“What you said, I uh...I'd do anything for you too.” Through the dark, Roman can still see Virgil's cheeks tint pink._

_“You mean that?”_

_That at least earns him a side glance. “Yeah, and if you ever tell anyone I'll punch you in the mouth, got it?”_

_Roman doesn't say another word but he smiles, giving Virgil a nod, and the tiny smirk he receives back stirs up the butterflies in his stomach._

* * *

**One year later...**

There was a stand off happening in the middle of the commons, all because Virgil had decided to throw a tantrum. An absolute tantrum that Roman was definitely not blowing out of proportion. Why, he would never.

Roman had planned to take his boyfriend out on a date that night, seeing as Thomas was taking a couple of days off to rest for once. He was going to take him to a carnival that Patton had been so kind as to dig up the memory of, but Virgil had changed his mind last minute. Princey really didn't mind settling for a movie night instead but-

“You picked last time! It's my turn! Why are you being so stubborn about this?” 

Virgil scoffs, “Uh, no. _You_ picked _for me_ last time, remember?”

Alright, perhaps he may have influenced Virgil's choice on the last movie night, but he loved The Nightmare Before Christmas and he hadn't complained about it then! It shouldn't have count! He wanted to watch Sleeping Beauty and no, not for the thousandth time, as Virgil had claimed...it was only 214 times. 

Virgil crosses his arms and says, “Star Wars or nothing, Princey.” From his tone and his stance, it was clear that he wasn't budging.

As much as he hated to, Roman finally gives up. They had been arguing for over 20 minutes, this was ridiculous. With a drawn out sigh, he stomps over to the shelves and gets to work finding the movie. He can practically feel Virgil roll his eyes behind him as he goes to plop down on the couch. 

Maybe it wasn't entirely necessary for Roman to sit a full seat apart from him so they weren't touching, but it was rather satisfying seeing Virgil pout.

It doesn't last long, as Roman did actually like the Force Awakens quite a bit, and it had been a while since he had seen it. Plus, if it made Virgil happy he supposed it wasn't all that bad (though Sleeping Beauty was on for next time, he would not be swayed again). Ten minutes into the movie and Roman had casually scooted closer to him. Thirty minutes in and Virgil had started to idly play with his hand. Roman stole glances between them every so often to watch Virgil trace random patterns into his palm. He smiled, and slowly linked their fingers together, giving his hand a squeeze. Virgil kept his eyes on the screen but he felt a light squeeze back. Roman wanted so badly to just pull him into his lap and hold him, maybe even make out a little. What were movie nights with your significant other for after all? But this was Virgil and he was different. 

Virgil always tensed up when he was held. Always. He never pushed away, but he only gave loose hugs back. Surprise kisses were a definite no, as Virgil just about smacked him the last time he had tried (though he had apologized profusely afterwords). So, Roman kept it light with quick kisses on the cheek or hands, sometimes boldly pressing his lips against his for the briefest moment. Though Virgil would blush and stammer each and every time, he never took it any farther. The only thing he would initiate was holding hands, like now, but even that tended to not last long. 

Roman had tried to get him to open up about his boundaries a couple of times, but their conversations always ended the same. Short, with Virgil telling him he was fine with whatever and asking him to elaborate was responded with a shrug. It was beyond frustrating, but Roman wasn't going to ruin what they had by pushing him too far. 

Halfway through the movie, he felt Virgil's head rest on his shoulder. Roman's entire body stiffens. This was new, and here he was musing over his boyfriends apparent distaste for physical contact. He stayed still, not entirely sure how to proceed from here. Should he put his arm around him? Perhaps he shouldn't bring attention to it at all, he didn't want to scare him off. Roman dared to look down at his shoulder, maybe Virgil was waiting for him to-

Virgil had fallen asleep. He must have slid down by accident, that was all.

For some reason, he felt a little disappointed. Maybe he was hoping Virgil had finally started to loosen up around him, it had been half a year since they started dating after all. They should be well past that awkward stage of shyly asking when they wanted to be kissed or cuddled. Roman wanted to pick him up and snuggle him close. He wanted Virgil to push him up against a wall and kiss him senseless, just because he could. He knew he could...right?

His thoughts are interrupted as he hears the familiar swoosh of someone ascending into the commons. Giggling, that could only belong to Patton, started to fill the room and next to him, Virgil began to stir. Without thinking, Roman gently threads his fingers through his hair. He lets out a soft sigh and settles back down against him. Roman turns around to find not only Patton, but Logan, both clinging to each other like teenagers. Logan was smiling fondly as Patton looked up at him, completely enraptured. Roman could practically see the hearts in their eyes. Nerds.

“Psst!”

They both gasp and snap their heads towards him. Roman put a finger to his lips, gesturing them to shush. Logan was bright red with embarrassment but Patton just beamed at Roman as he took in the pair on the couch. He gave him a nod and then pulled on Logan's arm, leading them toward the logical Side's bedroom.

When they were out of sight, he turned his attention back to Virgil who was still sleeping soundly. A little smile was planted on his face and Roman hoped that it was at least partly due to the fingers he still had running through his hair. He had a certain softness to him when he slept that Roman wasn't used to seeing. Virgil was just...so gorgeous. He wondered if he would wake up if he kissed him. He had slept through Patton and Logan's sappy entrance, so a gentle kiss surely wouldn’t be enough to wake him. It didn't hurt to try.

Roman leaned down and pressed a kiss onto Virgil's cheekbone, right on his spattering of freckles. Why someone who shied away from the sun had more freckles than the other three was a mystery, but Roman adored each and every one of them. Virgil didn't even flinch.

_...It would be so easy to pull him into your lap._

Now that was a dangerous thought. Roman shook his head, what was he thinking? Did he have a death wish? He definitely should ask him first, but...he looked so perfect leaning against his side. What harm would it do? That was innocent enough, simply holding his boyfriend. His very temperamental boyfriend, who may not appreciate waking up to being cradled in his arms like a child. 

Roman cleared his throat. No response. He quietly calls his name. Nothing, Virgil was out like a light. 

Well...Virgil had assured him that he was fine with anything, and Princey couldn't get the idea out of his head now. Besides, he had to pick him up to carry him off to bed anyway, right? It would just be for a moment... 

As carefully as he possibly could, Roman wrapped the arm that Virgil was resting against around his back. He pulled his legs up over his lap with the other arm and a few moments of maneuvering later (with a close call as Virgil grunted in his sleep, leaving Roman frozen in fear for a couple of seconds), Virgil was resting in his lap. 

Virgil had always reminded him of a cat. Moody, taking multiple naps throughout the day, jumping at shadows, and now, curling even closer into Roman's chest until he was a tight ball. His breathing was deep and slow, he looked so content. Roman carefully runs his fingers back through Virgil's hair and scratches the back of his head. Virgil all but purrs and tucks his head underneath his chin and the creative Side falls more in love with him as he melts into his touch.

* * *

_It was obvious to anyone that they had feelings for each other. Roman supposed that everyone else knew they were head over heels before they recognized it themselves._

_It was Patton who pushed the two of them to start spending some time alone together. Urging them to simply talk and get to know one another. There was some reluctance on both sides, mostly awkwardness, but looking back on it, perhaps a little bit of fear; neither wanting to get hurt by the other after having been stung so many times. It was strange. Anxiety had kept his dark persona up for so long that when he finally started to let it down and just be Virgil, Roman had realized he knew next to nothing about him. He found himself incredibly interested in his dark counterpart and was surprised to find that Virgil (though for the longest time, he would deny it) was just as curious._

_Watching movies or playing games or having “friendly” arguments about things that didn't really matter to Thomas in the commons, somehow shifted into the two of them visiting Roman's realm just to go on walks and chat. Then those walks became laying close to each other on the forest floor, looking up at the stars and sharing secrets._

_Yes, in retrospect, it really was incredibly obvious._

_Roman had set out on his quest to win Virgil over seven months ago, with Patton, and even Logan, encouraging him. Virgil was just as enamored with him, they could all see it clear as day. So it was rather disheartening when Roman's first attempt was met with a blunt, “Fuck off, Princey.” That was definitely not the response he was hoping for, but he was Prince Roman and he would not give up so easily. He would just have to try a little harder if he wanted to win him over._

_He tried again...and failed. Then again, filled with passionate determination, and failed once more._

_It seemed like no matter how many spectacular gifts and flowery words he showered his beloved with, Virgil always turned him down. Roman was becoming more and more desperate and Virgil's patience was wearing thin. He couldn't understand what he could possibly be doing wrong? What more could he do to prove his love?_

_It all came to a head one day, with Virgil finally reaching his limit and snapping after Roman had summoned a basket full of puppies, each one carrying a note with a sickening sweet confession of his affections for him. It led to one of the worst fights they ever had. Roman, frustrated that none of his efforts seemed to be good enough for him and Virgil...Virgil had seen this as something entirely different._

_Roman could feel his heart breaking as Virgil yelled at him, tears of frustration streaming down his face. He told him that he knew this was all some sick prank that Princey was pulling. That he was waiting for him to accept his “affections” just so Roman could turn around and have a good laugh. There was no way he could possibly be in love with him, he was Anxiety after all. The bad guy. The pain in the ass who always held Thomas back from following his dreams. The sickness that no matter how hard they tried, couldn't be cured._

_Roman had been devastated and ashamed of himself. How could he have been so foolish? This was Virgil. Of course he would over think all of this and jump to the worst possible conclusions. He couldn't help it. It was better to be upfront and to the point with him and even then, it took time and plenty of patience. Besides that, he knew Virgil better than anyone now. The “traditional” romantic approach just wasn't his style. No wonder he thought this was a joke._

_The next time Roman approached him, he came with no gifts, no songs or poems, just a promise._

_He swore that no matter if Virgil chose to be with him or not, Roman would always be there for him. Anything Virgil asked of him, if it was in his power, he would give it to him. He told him there was no doubt in his mind that he loved him, even if Virgil couldn't begin to understand why yet. If it took him a lifetime of convincing, so be it. Virgil was worth the time._

_Relationships were far more complicated then their depictions in fairy tales, of course Roman knew that. He also knew that Virgil himself was complicated and it would take a lot of effort on both sides to make anything between them work. They were very different after all, but Roman didn't care. He loved him and that was all that mattered._

_Virgil had sat next to him in silence, his head down and eyes trained on the floor the entire time he spoke, but Roman knew he was listening. He made no attempt to move, even after Roman had finished saying all that he needed to. Virgil stayed like that for what felt like hours until, finally, he looked up at him._

_He didn't say a word, just reached out and took Roman's hand, his own was shaking. Then, Virgil brought it up to his chest and placed it right over his heart._

* * *

It was sometimes rough, but here they were, six months strong. 

Roman nuzzles his cheek against Virgil's soft hair and hugged him tighter, his dark prince sighs. Of course he was happy but...Roman still didn't know exactly what Virgil wanted or needed from him. He never got a clear answer and frankly, he was scared to push for one. It didn't make sense. Here he was now, the most relaxed he's seen Virgil in weeks, seemingly all because he was curled up in Roman's arms. Why didn't he just ask or initiate when he wanted affection? Virgil should know by know that he would never deny him of anything and besides that, did he really not understand that Roman _needed_ to be _wanted_? 

Virgil started to twist in his arms, trying to get more comfortable. Roman didn't want to stay like this for too long (a lie, he never wanted to let go) because however harmless it was, he didn't exactly ask for permission to hold him. So, giving his love another squeeze, he carefully stands up, taking care to keep Virgil's head tucked into the crook of his neck. Not wanting to risk jostling him awake, he decides to just sink into Virgil's room instead of walking him down the hall.

The effects of Anxiety's room wouldn't take long to hit him, so Roman didn't have much time. He set him down gently and, to his surprise, Virgil's soft smile twitches down into a pout and he curls up into the fetal position. It was...as if he missed Roman's warmth already. He smiled, looking over him, but it was bittersweet. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking. Maybe Roman had all of it wrong _and Virgil actually detested him. Who could blame him? He was **practically repulsive to look at and not to mention-**_

Roman shakes his head and pushes some of the shadows creeping into his mind away. He needed to leave soon. Carefully, as to not wake him, he tucks Virgil in, pulling the covers up over him. Roman leans down then, and brushes the bangs out of his eyes to place a light kiss on his forehead. He lingers a little longer than he should, watching Virgil's form rise and fall rhythmically. God, he absolutely adored him. He hoped the darker Side knew that he didn't mind being patient. He wasn't going anywhere. 

_**He doesn't believe you. He never forgave you for all the terrible things you've said. He's never even told you he loves-** _

Roman sinks out as fast as he can, letting out a long sigh of relief as the shadows immediately start to fade when he enters his own room.

* * *

As he gets ready for bed, his mind starts to draw out new ideas, as it always does when he's here. If they're loud enough, he'll sketch or write them down so he can bring it up to Thomas later. The loudest one at the moment was more for himself, though it certainly benefited Thomas, as it was begging for a new adventure to be had. 

_A daring rescue mission? Ridding a town tormented by a group of bloodthirsty orcs? A hunt for ancient, lost treasure?!?_

It had been a couple of days since he had ventured into his realm; the Realm of Dreams. Starting with something a little less intense would probably be a better idea, though throwing himself into a glorious battle was tempting.... 

It hits him then. Tonight’s date may not have gone as planned, but Thomas still had one more day off. Perhaps he could actually get Virgil to join him. There was that one spot he had been dying to show him for months now, and it's usual inhabitant would still be away so they would have the place to themselves...well, at least she _should_ be away. 

It shouldn't take too much convincing. After all, Roman thinks, as he lays in bed twirling a black feather between his fingers, it had been a while since Virgil had got to stretch out his wings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a slow start, but I wanted to established where our boys were at first. This fic is going to be around 15 chapters and most of them are much longer than this one lol.
> 
>  **Tumblr:** [@Princeofdespair](https://princeofdespair.tumblr.com/)


	2. The Realm of Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil lets himself get dragged into Roman's realm, with the promise of being shown something cool and not at all dangerous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Negative thinking, swearing, food mention.

_Knock, knock, knock._

“Verge? It's almost noon, buddy. You should get up!”

The low growl that Virgil gave him was apparently not the response Patton was looking for. He hears a huff from outside and then another couple of raps on his door, this time much louder. Virgil groans and curls closer into himself. 

“Now, Virgil, you can't sleep the whole day away. It's not good for you or Thomas.”

Virgil hisses. 

The door finally opens, just a crack, and the firmness in Patton's voice has Virgil pulling the covers over his head, as if this alone would somehow save him.

Putting on his best Dad voice, Patton calls out, “Do you want me to come in there and drag you out of bed myself?” 

A warning, and Virgil knew from a handful of unfortunate past experiences that it was the only one he was getting before Patton actually took action. With another drawn out groan, he finally sits up in bed, his hair an absolute mess and falling into his eyes. “Okay, okay,” he grumbles, “I'm up. Geez...”

Patton peeks his head in and flashes him a smile. “Don't take too long, kiddo!” With that, he shuts his door and Virgil can hear him practically skipping back down the hall. 

Patton said it was about 12 in the afternoon and Virgil realizes he has no idea how long he slept but for once, he's feeling somewhat decent, well rested even. He didn't remember falling asleep last night. In fact, he didn't remember getting up and going to bed at all. Weird.

Whatever, if he was feeling this good for once, Thomas should be doing better than usual too. Virgil closes his eyes and reaches out to see what he was up to. He faintly feels Thomas groggily making himself coffee, he must have just gotten up. This was the first break he'd given himself in the past couple of weeks and that was only after a lot of convincing from Patton. Virgil had always been stuck in the middle when Thomas decided he was going to take on dozens of projects at once. Torn between wanting to just set it all aside ( _This is too different...what if they hate it...maybe we shouldn't even try..._ ) and pushing themselves as far as they could ( _No breaks...running out of time...can't fail them..._ ). He can see Thomas glancing at his laptop, debating on whether or not he should start working again, despite promising one more day off. What harm would it do? Two days was plenty of time to rest, it should be fine...

For the sake of the others, Anxiety sends out a thought. 

_I can't burn myself out. I've got a lot of people depending on me. If anything, I need to take care of myself for them._

It's not an idle mindset but it does work as Thomas pushes his laptop aside and turns on the TV, settling in for a day of relaxing. Good. They all needed the break, and it gave Virgil more time to spend with-

It suddenly comes back to him, the night before. Date night, or so it would have been if he hadn't been such an asshole. 

He hadn't really wanted to do anything at all. He was tired and high strung from all the stress Thomas had on his shoulders. He just wanted to curl up against his boyfriend and listen to music, maybe take a nap, but...that wasn't how it worked with them. 

Virgil couldn't ask Roman to just hang out and cuddle. The physical form of anxiety didn't cuddle. That would be weird. He was weird for even wanting that. Patton could do that with Logan, he was allowed, because he was heart and emotions. Logic knew full well that dating Patton meant endless amounts of physical affection. Yet he still asked Patton to pursue a relationship with him. Logan knew what he was getting himself into...so Roman must have too.

Virgil had never asked to be touched before ~~(but god had he wanted to)~~ , why would getting together make that any different? Roman couldn't have possibly expected to get anything out of him besides the standard quick hugs and kisses, if even that. It just made sense that Roman didn't want any of the extra stuff. Stuff like, holding each other close or making out on the couch for hours or...yeah, things like that. Things that Virgil could only dream about doing, but Roman wasn't interested. He couldn't be, and there was no way in hell Virgil was going to make him uncomfortable by asking for it. No matter how badly he craved it.

Honestly, Virgil was still trying to process how in the hell Roman could like him at all but...nope. He had run it through his head hundreds of times already and more were bound to come; it was too early for that shit.

Wait. They were watching Star Wars or something last night and that was the last thing Virgil really remembered before waking up in his bed so...oh. Great. He must have fallen asleep and Roman carried him off to bed. Virgil cringes and feels guilt well up inside his gut. Roman would've had to pick him up and that must have been so freaking awkward. He could have just woken him up, why did he always have to be so nice? Virgil shivers, thinking how great it would have been to remember how strong and warm his arms would have felt and that was creepy to even be thinking about and, _fuck_ , Roman had to come in his room and he must have felt it's effects and...

Virgil really considers going back to bed, but then he thinks about Patton. Patton knew when to give him space but he knew when to push him too and judging from his tone earlier, this was a push day.

With a growl, he swings out of bed finally. As he stands up and starts to raise his arms to stretch, he winces; his shoulders catch with a twinge of pain and a dull but aggravating itch he hadn't really noticed until now starts to spread in between his shoulder blades. Virgil grimaces and starts to slowly roll his shoulders, hoping to loosen some of the tension. It doesn't really help. 

It had been a couple of weeks since he had let his stupid wings out but he still hated the damn things, no matter how “pretty” Roman said they were. For one thing, they were way too big; he didn't have any room to move around when he was stuck in his room. Plus, feathers always ended up getting everywhere and while the mess was annoying enough, the threat of Patton or Logan finding one and questioning him about it always kept him on edge. On top of that, he was still terrified of heights and of course with that, flying, so they were basically useless. Just a burden that made him feel even more like a freak.

He tries to shove the ache in his muscles aside and starts searching around his room for clean clothes. He should get a move on before Dad got after him again, as much as he wanted to just hide under the covers until the sun went away. It was almost funny how fast he could ruin his own good mood. Absolutely hilarious. 

Shrugging his old, black hoodie on, he heads out into the hallway and down into the kitchen.

* * *

Logan is leaning against the stove, holding a spatula in one hand as he idly pushes bacon around in a pan and in the other, where is focus was currently, a frayed paperback ( _Pale Blue Dot_ , a book he knows Logan has read a dozen times already). He doesn't look up when Virgil enters the kitchen but he does give him an absent, “Good afternoon, Virgil.”

Patton, who was sitting at the table reading the paper, turns around in his chair and positively beams at him. “There you are, kiddo!” Virgil thinks it's pretty sad how proud Patton was of him, just for getting out of bed. Really showed how pathetic he was if something so basic could be seen as an accomplishment. “Logan is making breakfast if you're hungry!”

Virgil shrugs and heads to the coffee maker, “M'not. Thanks though.” While he pours himself a cup, he wonders where his boyfriend is. It wasn't that unusual, he guessed. Roman and Patton were both early birds so he probably got up and ate hours ago. 

Wait a second...

“Why are you guys just now having breakfast?” Virgil asks.

Logan glances up from his book and opens his mouth to answer him but Patton beats him to it, practically bouncing in his seat as he says, “Oh, Logan and I thought we would have a date night too!” He's starts talking faster and faster as he gets excited, “It was so nice! Logan made this amazing dinner and then I took us to an aquarium and then we went back to Logan's room and we-”

“Patton!” Logan exclaims, face turning bright red.

“-stayed up all night talking. Yep. That was all.” 

Patton finishes with a smile, as if that was definitely all he was going to say before Logan stopped him. The blush creeping across his cheeks told a different story, however. Virgil was going to just nod and go back to making his coffee now, because nope. Nope, nope nope. 

He couldn't help but feel a little envious of them though. Must be nice. 

With a sigh, Logan turns back to the stove. He flips the bacon (perfectly crispy, of course) and then says, “Are you sure you don't want anything, Virgil? Sounds like you'll need a good breakfast to fuel you for whatever that fool has planned.”

Virgil freezes as his fourth spoonful of sugar drops into his mug. “...What?”

Patton gasps as he suddenly remembers, “Oh! That's right! Roman wanted us to tell you to meet him in his room later today! Said something about visiting his realm but...what time did he say again?”

“Two,” Logan reminds him.

“Yeah!”

Fantastic. Virgil had no idea what Princey could possible want but he really wasn't in the mood to be dragged out into the forest today. All he wanted to do was mope around the mindscape and relax. This was Thomas' first real break in three weeks, why couldn't Roman just take it easy for once. Spending time with Roman was great, but he always wanted to do something. He could never just...chill. 

As much as Virgil wanted to see him, Roman could be exhausting in large doses and he really didn't know if he could handle that today. 

He feels something bump against his hand. Virgil shakes his head, not realizing he had zoned out. He looks down to see that Logan has pushed a plate of eggs and bacon towards him. He doesn't say anything, just gives Virgil a knowing look before he goes to the table to set a plate down for Patton and himself. Virgil frowns at the plate. He honestly wasn't that hungry, but he really didn't have it in him to argue today. So, with a huff, he picks up the plate and joins them.

* * *

Virgil stands outside of Roman's door at exactly 1:55 pm. He starts to reach for the doorknob, then hesitates. Roman had given him permission to just come and go as he pleased, but he still felt weird just barging into his room. So, he knocks and calls out, “Yo. It's me.”

A minute goes by and Roman doesn't answer. Virgil feels himself getting annoyed already. Yeah, he was five minutes early but Princey should be expecting him, right? After knocking again and still getting no response, Virgil's thin patience overpowers his nervousness and he lets himself inside. Just as he enters the room, he catches Roman coming out of the large, dark oaken doors that stand tall against the back wall of his room. The doors that lead into the Realm of Dreams.

They both freeze as they meet each others eyes for a moment, then Roman is grinning and hurrying towards him. He stops in front of him and Virgil notices right away that Roman's cheeks are flushed red and his hair, usually brushed neatly back, was windswept around his face. He's out of breath but he looks excited, his eyes bright and wild. 

What was Virgil getting himself into?

Apparently his thoughts reflected clearly on his face as Roman holds up his hands in defense and says, “Let me explain first before you turn me down-”

“Princey, I'm not spending our last day off fucking around in the woods.”

Roman recoils a little at the harshness of his words and Virgil feels sick to his stomach at the hurt look on his face. What was wrong with him? He was always so mean, he didn't even give him a chance to explain himself. Fuck, he was the worst boyfriend. Why the hell was Roman putting up with him still?

He takes a step back and shoves his hands into his hoodie pockets, looking away from him. “Sorry, I uh...” Patton had once told him that maintaining a healthy relationship meant being open and honest with each other so...

_Just tell him the truth. It'll be okay._

He doesn't fully believe that but it's enough to ground himself a little. 

Virgil looks up and says, “I haven't been feeling great. I know we're all working over time with Thomas being so busy but...it's just wearing me out and I guess putting me in a pissy mood, I don't know...” He trails off, feeling like he's just rambling like an idiot but Roman gives him a smile anyway. 

“It's quite alright, love. I kind of figured you weren't feeling your best.”

Virgil is pretty sure he doesn't have a “best”, but he keeps that to himself and instead says, “Um, yeah. And about last night? I'm sorry for that too. I don't mean to keep giving you excuses but-”

Roman raises his hand to cut him off. “No need to apologize. Really.” Then he gently reaches out and strokes the side of his cheek. Virgil stiffens to keep himself from shivering but Roman doesn't linger, he never does. Letting his hand fall he softly tells him, “We're okay, Virgil.”

He didn't know how badly he needed that confirmation until Roman says that. He feels a wave of relief wash over him, the muscles he didn't realize he was tensing up relaxing. He wants to reach out and hug him...but of course, he doesn't. Just gives him a nod and says, “Alright. Give me your pitch. What have you been up to?”

Roman's lip twitches ever so slightly into a smirk and Virgil knows full well that means trouble. 

“Well, I was thinking maybe today...we could try something new?” Virgil waits for him to drop whatever bomb he has as Roman rocks on his heels and drawls out, “I know you have your little rule...”

“Roman...,” he cautions.

“...but I was thinking we could go deeper into the woods.”

There it was. Virgil sighs and shakes his head, “Princey...”

“I know, I know! But Virgil, I scouted the path we would take already to make sure everything was perfectly safe--and it is! I promise!” Roman holds his hands out as Virgil opens his mouth to interrupt him. He reluctantly bites his tongue but he still crosses his arms and frowns.

It had taken Roman months of convincing to get Virgil to visit his realm. When he finally agreed and walked through those towering doors for the first time, the vastness of the forest practically overwhelming him, Virgil made a rule right then and there. If the door was out of sight, they had gone too far, because once inside any of the Side's realms, they couldn't teleport. There was only one way in and out, and that was through the doors connected directly to their rooms. 

Logan had his theories as to why. The main one being that the deeper they delved into Thomas' subconscious, the less control they personally had, since the realms were constantly changing with him. Fears are developed while others are conquered. Facts are learned and memories are made as fast as old ones are faded, only to be recalled again at the most random of times. Each new fantasy providing continuous inspiration for Thomas to create new things.

The realms, especially Roman's, were unpredictable and the Side's could never envision the same place twice, which was exactly why Virgil couldn't stand to be in them for too long. Nothing was constant, and the thought of straying too far from their only escape set his nerves on edge.

Roman's shoulders sag as he sees that Virgil doesn't seem to be budging from his stance. Quietly, he says, “There's this place I've always wanted to show you. I really think you'd like it. And...I thought you could use a good distraction to help you take your mind off things, at least for a little while.”

Oh. Virgil was starting to understand what this was really about. Roman was feeling obligated to take care of him again because Virgil couldn't be bothered to do it himself. He both hated and adored that Roman tried so hard to keep him from falling apart, but when has Virgil ever done anything for him? Partners were supposed to be just that, partners. Not one sided caretaking. 

He really was the worst. 

Roman perks up a little and gestures to him, “Besides! I know you haven't had a good stretch in a while. I'd imagine it doesn't feel too good keeping them locked away like that for so long.”

He was trying to bribe him, and the ache between his shoulders was really starting to convince Virgil to take him up on it. Silent now, Roman waits for him to answer, a hopeful smile on his face and _damn it_ , Virgil didn't want to do this.

“Fine. As long as it's not too far.”

Roman's face lights up and he beams at him, “An hour to and from, tops.” 

That...must mean it was pretty far away from the door. If something happened they couldn't just quickly run back into the safety of the mindspace. Shit. He couldn't back out now, not when Roman was looking at him like that.

Virgil runs his hand through his hair and sighs. He gestures to the realms gate and Roman grins, taking his hand to pull him towards it. His hand is warm, and Virgil knows it's just to drag him out and make sure he doesn't bail but he can't help but intertwine their fingers together anyway. 

Roman stretches his free hand out and places it on the door. It glows a faint gold and the edges of the door light up with it, then there's a click and Virgil is being pulled inside.

* * *

The sun was blazing down hot above them in a clear, blue sky, only slightly countered by the cool breeze that brushed against their skin. It shook the leaves on the endless amount of trees that encircled the clearing they were in. The door stood in the middle, strong and unmoving, though there were no walls to support it. Between the trees all around them were dozens of paths that lead deeper into the forest. Virgil could guess that some of them broke off into even more paths and so on. How Roman could ever find his way home after one of his adventures was a mystery and Virgil really didn't feel good thinking about that. 

Virgil had never gone down any of those paths. The clearing was large and the two of them usually just roamed around it, undisturbed. They would lay in the grass and stare up at the stars late at night and talk. This clearing felt safe and he could visibly see the exit, but every single one of the paths around them looked dark and uninviting. Something instilled in him was begging to run back into the safety of the mindspace.

_No. Not today. Roman wants this. Make him happy for once. Stop being selfish._

Roman is watching him carefully, maybe he was waiting to see if he actually did run back. Virgil takes a deep breath and then starts to shed off his jacket. Roman grins, as it's placed neatly next to the door (he was thankful he decided to wear his old black one; not that big of a deal if it got lost). 

“You know, it's such a sunny day, I'm surprised you're not sparkling,” Princey teases.

Virgil ignores him and just crosses his arms. He looks at Roman expectantly who rolls his eyes and turns around, getting the hint. He should know by now, they've done this enough times already.

When he's sure he won't peek, Virgil strips off his shirt. Then, he closes his eyes, rolls his shoulders and-

_Whoosh._

Virgil doesn't mean to let out a moan, but the relief that spreads through him as his wings are summoned just felt too good. The itch completely vanishes and his tense muscles start to ease.

Loose black feathers go flying everywhere, a couple landing in Roman's hair. He chuckles, plucks one out and says, “Can I look now?”

* * *

_**Ten months ago...** _

_“Don't look!”_

_“Virgil, really! What is this all about?”_

_“Just don't turn around until I tell you to, asshole!”_

_Roman rolled his eyes with a dramatic groan but he did as he said and stayed put, his back to the anxious Side. He starts to hear the rustling of clothes and asks, now very confused,“Um, are you quite alright?”_

_Virgil snaps back at him, “Will you shut the hell up and give me a second?!”_

_A moment later, when he hears a loud whoosh and feels a gust of wind hit the back of his head, Roman can't take it anymore. He spins around and his jaw drops._

_Virgil stands before him, shirtless, illuminated by the moon. His once hazel eyes now glowed a dim violet; they were wide and almost feral. Feathers are falling all around him as a pair of large wings protruding from between his shoulder blades stretch out wide._

_Roman absently leans down to pick up a feather, staring at it and then up at Virgil in utter disbelief. Virgil meets his eyes for only a second before he ducks his head and growls, “You're used to unicorns and fairies and shit, right? This shouldn't be a big deal.”_

_They both knew this was in fact, a big deal._

_“Virgil, this is...I don't...”_

_His head snaps up to glare at him, “Look I know it's fucking horrible, okay? But you...you already knew I was a freak so I-I didn't think it would...I just...I-I wanted...I don't know! I don't fucking know why but I wanted to show you!”_

_He was starting to work himself up and tears were threatening to fall from his eyes. It occurred to Roman then, that he had never seen Virgil cry before and he didn't ever want to._

_He walks towards him and when he gets too close, Virgil flinches and his wings fold around him like a hug. Protecting himself. Roman stops for a moment, then reaches out and brushes the bangs out of his eyes._

_Virgil sounds so small when he whispers out, “...no one else knows, so if anything just keep your mouth shut.”_

_Another sweep of his bangs, “Virgil, it's alright.” Then, carefully, he asks, “May I touch them?”_

_Virgil blushes pink and refuses to meet his eyes again, but he cautiously extends a wing out for him._

_He's gentle, as he rubs a couple of feathers between his fingers. They're so soft and light, despite how heavy the actual wings looked. He runs his hand flat against the thickest part at the top, almost petting it, and Virgil's eyes flutter close. He sighs, the wings stretching out like fingers. When Roman asks if he's alright, Virgil just nods._

_The wings were black, but in the faint glow from the moonlight, Roman could see shimmers of dark purple rippling throughout. “Gorgeous,” he whispers and Virgil looks up at him in shock._

_“How in the world did you keep this a secret?”_

_Virgil shrugs, “It's...not hard. I just kinda, will them away. Like what you do with swords and stuff.” He straightens his back, keeping his arms crossed around his bare chest. “But...it sucks. It starts to hurt when I keep them away for too long.”_

_Roman forces himself to stop touching them, he didn't want to make Virgil any more uncomfortable than he already was. “How long-”_

_“Always. I've always had them.” Virgil narrows his eyes at him then, his voice low, dangerous. “Don't tell Patton and Logan, and especially not Thomas.”_

_Roman nods but has to add, “You know they wouldn't judge-”_

_“Just don't say anything!”_

_“Alright, alright! You're secret's safe with me, I swear it.” Virgil is still clutching his chest, he shivers. Roman gets an idea then. Closing his eyes, he imagines a long sleeved sweater with an open back. It appears in his hands and he hold it out towards Virgil who takes it, cautiously. Always so careful._

_“You don't ever have to hide who you are around me, Virgil.”_

_Virgil wipes at his eyes, catching the tears before they fall and holds the sweater close to his chest._

_“Thanks, Ro.”_

* * *

“I need a shirt. Short sleeved, it's hot.”

“Tsk. So bossy...”

Roman's back is still to him as Virgil watches him conjure up a plain, purple t-shirt with a hole cut out in the back. He never took these shirts out of Roman's realm, since Patton had a habit of coming into his room and doing his laundry if he noticed Virgil hadn't done it himself in a while. He couldn't risk anyone else finding out. 

Virgil grabs it and pulls it on, tucking his wings against his back and maneuvering them through the hole. Wincing as he bends them around. It would be a lot easier if he had Roman to help him, and he had offered plenty of times, but Virgil still couldn't stand Roman seeing his body. He knew it was stupid, it was only his chest after all, but he couldn't shake those self-conscious, _he probably thinks you're gross_ , thoughts out of his head. Even though, deep down, he knew they weren't true, as Roman had told him otherwise many, many times.

When it's on, he finally gives Princey the okay to turn back around and he does. The softness in his eyes as he takes Virgil in sends heat spreading across his face. Even in this creepy form, Roman still looks at him like he's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen and Virgil's pretty sure he'll never understand why. He definitely isn't. 

He shakes his wings and flaps them a couple of times. Man, it felt good to let loose again. 

“Alright. Where are we going?” he asks. 

Roman points over to a path that's almost completely covered in foliage and much darker than the rest. Virgil glowers at him and Roman had the nerve to grin back. 

“Trust me,” he says, and then he's off, hurrying down the path. 

Virgil sometimes wished he didn't trust him. Right now his common sense was telling him to _get the fuck out of here, idiot_ , but Virgil races after him anyway.

* * *

Virgil wasn't sure how long they had been walking for at this point, but it had to be well past the hour Roman had assured him it would take. He had been keeping time on his phone, checking every couple of minutes, but the disapproving looks Roman thew at him every time he pulled it out really weren't worth it. Without that as a distraction, he was forced to actually take in their surroundings after a while. 

The pathway wasn't as dark as he thought once they really got to walking. Deeper in, the trees opened up just a crack and the light from the sun shone through so they could see perfectly fine. There really was nothing too out of the ordinary, just lots and lots of trees...

But the longer they walked, the more sinister the scenery seemed to get. The gnarled trees twisted and started to look like screaming ents. The pleasant chirping of the woodland creatures turned to squawks and screeches. Maybe it was just his anxiety playing tricks on him but Virgil finally gave in and took Roman's hand for comfort. He held tight back without a word. 

Finally, as they reached what seemed to be the end of the path, Roman stops. In front of them, the brush was so thick, Virgil was sure he had lead them into a dead end.

“Roman, what-”

“Hush.”

Virgil leans back and gives him a look that would scare even the darkest creatures of the forest. Roman pretends not to notice and keeps still, Virgil's hand still held tight in his own. He listens. Virgil can't make out anything new, besides the occasional skittering of god knows what in the grass around them. Roman peeks through the thick bushes, his eyes narrowed. Only a couple of seconds pass and he turns back to him, grinning.

“All clear, ” he says, matter-of-factly.

Virgil lets go of his hand and takes a couple of steps back, his heart starting to beat faster. He promised this was safe! 

“What do you mean 'all clear'?” 

Roman just rolls his eyes at him, “Just a precaution, love.”

“Don't you ' _just a precaution, love_ ' me! Where the hell are we?!” This was a mistake. Virgil had a really bad feeling about this, and yeah, he had bad feelings about pretty much everything but _still_.

Roman doesn't answer him, he goes back to the bushes and starts pushing them apart until there's a space big enough to crawl through. He looks back at Virgil and gestures for him to go through. Virgil doesn't move. With a frustrated sigh, Roman grabs his hand and leads them them both under the bush. Virgil doesn't fight him but a very loud part of him really thinks he should. 

He expects something horrible on the other side, like a cave full of bears or, god forbid, a dragons den, but...it's a cottage. An old looking, small, stone cottage, sitting alone in the empty woods. 

Roman lets go of his hand and walks towards it, Virgil, of course, follows. He really wants to cling to his side but it was bad enough holding his hand for so long, like a scared child. He didn't want to annoy him anymore than he probably already has. His wings ruffle and flatten against his sides and he hopes Roman doesn't notice.

The cottage was painted white, but the paint was chipped and cracked; some patches of it totally washed away from the rain. It had a rickety old door that looked like a strong enough gust of wind could blow it clean off, but there was still numerous, heavy locks placed on it. Wind chimes hung from every available space; moons, stars, animals and strange looking symbols dangled and chimed as the wind blew through. A stone fence, almost as tall as the house itself, encircled around the place. Twisting vines and weeds growing on so thick they practically hid the fence entirely. 

It was a bit messy but also...cozy. Virgil had to admit, he kind of loved it. 

Roman walks over to the fence, and places his hand on it. He frowns and mutters to himself, “ _Why does she insist on changing it..._ ” and starts gliding his hand around it. Virgil watches him curiously but keeps quite. It seemed like he was looking for something. He was almost too afraid to ask exactly what that may be or who “she” was. 

Roman glances over his shoulder saying, “Sorry about this, just give me a moment,” and then his attention is back on the fence. 

He didn't want to just stand there and stare at him for however long, so, cautiously, Virgil moves forward.

Peering into one of the dusty windows would reveal nothing but pitch blackness to most, but this form didn't just come with wings. Virgil can make out every detail, his vision clearer and brighter; though it really didn't matter here, as there wasn't much of anything to see. Just cobwebs and a few broken pieces of what could have been furniture. The house looked like it had been abandoned for years. 

He frowns, looking back over at Roman who's now moved farther down the fence. Cursing to himself as he brushes vines out of the way. Virgil really wanted to believe that whatever it was Roman wanted to show him was worth it but he was losing faith by the minute.

Well, at least it wasn't dangerous. 

Virgil moves around to the back and finds that the fence, as tall as it was, isn't very wide at all and there didn't seem to be a gate or anything leading in. He couldn't see a door inside the house leading out back either. He didn't know whether it was something to be suspicious about or just a stupid design choice, but curiosity was getting the better of him. Checking again to make sure Roman was still occupied, Virgil jumps and tries to grab the ledge. He wasn't even close. With a huff, he flaps his wings a couple of times and jumps again, lifting himself off the ground and grabbing onto the ledge. 

Nothing. Just tall, dead grass and broken pieces of pottery. This place was starting to look more and more like a dump than a cool, witchy-

Oh. Oh no.

Virgil drops off the fence and the uneasiness he was feeling the whole way here comes creeping back. Roman wouldn't have taken him to a run down place like this without, what he would think was, a good reason. This place was definitely not what it seems.

Virgil goes back around to find his boyfriend still searching and asks, “Roman?” 

Roman keeps moving his hands across the fence and then suddenly pauses, smirking he whispers, “Got ya.” Then, he turns his attention to him, “What is it, V?”

“Who lives here?”

Virgil is pretty sure he knows the answer before it comes nonchalantly out of Roman's mouth. “Oh. A witch, of course.”

His blood runs cold and he starts to shrink back away from the house, away from Roman. Everything in him told him to turn around and run because this was so incredibly stupid. A witch? A fucking witch??? While these fantasies might not be real to Thomas, they absolutely were to the Side's and they could get hurt here. Roman had many times. 

Seeing the distress on his face, Roman takes to a step towards him. Virgil takes another back. “Oh no, please, Virgil-”

“You've got to be fucking kidding me? A witch, Roman? What the hell were you thinking?!”

“She's not here right now, alright? I told you I wouldn’t take you anywhere dangerous-”

“You and I have totally different definitions of the word 'dangerous', Princey!”

Roman shoulders sag as he sighs. He looks so tired all of a sudden and it hurts Virgil's heart to see him like that, all because of him, but...

“Virgil, look. I promised you it was totally safe, didn't I. I mean it. She won't be back for a while and nothing here can really hurt you. Well, as long as you stick close and don't touch anything I tell you not to-”

“Roman!”

He shakes his head, getting flustered. “Virgil, I...I've wanted to take you here for a long time. I know you'll love it if you'd just give it a chance!” Roman looks at him, desperation in his eyes as he says in a hushed voice, “Give _me_ a chance.”

The words sting and Virgil deflates as they hit him. God, he really was the worst boyfriend. He was a coward and Roman looked so upset, standing there waiting for him to get it together and join him. Whatever it was Roman wanted to show him must have meant a lot and he didn't want to disappoint him but...

Virgil glances behind him, the bushes still parted and revealing the path back the the gate. He wanted to go home, cool looking house be damned. He never wanted to come here in the first place.

Roman holds out his hand, a silent, pleading look on his face.

_Shit._

Virgil takes his hand.

Roman lets out a sigh of relief. He brings his hand up to his lips and kisses it, a rare sign of affection that Virgil desperately craved.

“Thank you. Now, come on.”

He pulls him back towards the part of the fence he was examining. Barely visible through all the vines, Virgil can see a wooden door with a rusty lock set right in the middle of it. His heart races against his chest, he had no idea what they were walking into and the unknown terrified him.

_“Give me a chance...”_

Virgil gulps and squeezes Roman's hand, it's returned. Roman places his free hand against the door.

With a dim, golden glow and a click, the gate swings open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Tumblr:** [@Princeofdespair](https://princeofdespair.tumblr.com/)


	3. Into the Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman gives Virgil a tour of the witch's garden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Just a heads up, I know I said Wed and Sat for updates but I’m going to knock that down to just Saturdays. Going through some personal stuff and it’s taking me longer to edit these now. Sorry about that. :(
> 
>  **Warnings:** Minor negative thinking, minor swearing.

Roman honestly didn't expect Virgil to take his hand. He had gotten so upset, he was sure he was going to turn around and run back. Maybe even fly, if he was desperate enough. He can't help but kiss that hand, grateful that he was being given this chance. His little white lie may have been worth it after all. 

The truth was, Roman couldn't actually be sure if they would encounter anything on the path or around the house itself, even after scouting ahead hours ago. He did mean it when he said they would be safe, because he was a knight after all. He would have no problem protecting them, if it came to that. No harm would ever come to Virgil, he swore his life on it. 

So, technically, he hadn't lied. The dull throb of guilt he feels deep down tells him otherwise, but it didn't matter now. Virgil was finally here. 

The doorway is low and narrow, so Roman has to duck as he walks through. He gently tugs Virgil's hand then, beckoning him in. While he does follow, he also suddenly pulls his hand out of Roman's and shoves it into his pocket with the other. That...certainly stings, especially after he had seemed so eager to keep their hands together on the way here. Virgil really wasn't happy about this, but Roman tries not to dwell on that thought. Instead, he focuses on Virgil's face as they walk under the hedged archway right outside the door and into the garden.

Though he didn't see, Roman had heard the flapping of Virgil's wings a few minutes ago, so he knew he had looked over the fence. He was hoping he would, it made this reveal all the more magical. Virgil takes only a couple of steps in before he freezes, his eyes widening as he tries to take everything in. There was quite a lot. 

The garden was huge, expanding out into a wide oval around them much farther than it should when one viewed it from the outside. It was quite crowded. The tall grass was littered with small, stone statues ranging from adorable woodland creatures to hideous beasts. Pots, overflowing with lush plants and all types of flowers, were placed wherever there was extra space. 

Each corner of the garden seemed to display something different. There were thick bushes in need of a good trimming, tall fruit trees with leaves of pinks and golds, even a small vegetable patch with some of the plants already plump and ripe, just waiting to be picked.

Truth be told, it was dark and a bit of a mess but Roman absolutely adored it. He had always thought it was beautiful.

Virgil still hasn't moved and when he finally speaks, his voice is quiet, as if he was afraid of disturbing whatever might happen to reside within this place. “How...”

Roman can't help but laugh a little at how enchanted he sounds. “It's an illusion spell,” he says. “I presume to keep creatures and nosy, little princes like us out.”

Sitting right in the center of it all was a large fountain. Three, grotesque looking gargoyles, their faces twisted into snarls, sat on top of it. Each one spitting water out in a different direction. Around the fountain were four cobbled paths, each one leading deeper inside. When Virgil finally moves, he walks towards it. His face was starting to change back into that unreadable mask he tried so hard to keep on and Roman can feel himself start to panic. Was the wonderment of this place beginning to fade already? Did Virgil hate it? Love it? Not care at all? 

Did he do good, for once?

He hopes Virgil can't hear the fear behind his voice as he manages to say, “I'm not really sure where this place came from. I just stumbled upon it years ago, not long after you took a physical form, actually.”

Virgil stays silent. He stares up at the gargoyles and then reaches out, placing a hand on one of their heads. He traces its face. 

Roman goes on, “I assumed it must have been from a dream, though, I don't remember which one...I guess it doesn't really matter.”

Virgil lets his hand fall and puts it back into his pocket. He slowly moves his head to look around and Roman can't take much more of his silence. 

“Virgil? Are you alright? Is this okay?” 

Finally, he whispers, awestruck, “I don't...this is...dude.”

Well, that wasn't the reaction he was expecting. “Uh, I'm not sure how to take that? Does...does that mean you like it?” 

God, he hoped he did. Roman didn't know why Virgil's approval of this place was so important to him, he just knew he needed it. He needed to know that he could still make Virgil happy. 

He waits, with bated breath, as Virgil turns around. 

“I fucking love it.” 

He's smiling, and it was so sweet and genuine and perfect that all Roman can manage to do, is swallow down the lump that had formed in his throat and return it. What a fool he was, crying over a smile. 

Virgil had him wrapped around his finger and he didn't even realize it. 

“Well, I'm...glad you like it.”

Virgil gestures down one of the paths, and then asks, “You wanna show me around?” 

Roman beams.

* * *

The garden, as messy as it was, had been well maintained. It was obvious it's owner had made sure it was well taken care of, such a large contrast from the neglected looking cottage. The two of them were fairly quite, with Roman hanging back just a little so Virgil had plenty of room to explore at his own pace. He kept stopping every couple of feet to examine things and Roman realized he hadn't known if Virgil had liked plants or flowers at all. He had just figured that he would like the Gothic feel of it all, but Virgil seemed thoroughly interested with every new plant they came across. Roman actually had to keep a close eye on him because Virgil insisted on touching everything, and some of the plants were in fact dangerous. This was a witch's garden after all.

Virgil had leaned down to take a closer look at a patch of flowers growing between the cracks of the garden walls. While some of the plants here existed in the physical world, many of them came from Thomas' dreams or, like these, Roman's own creations. The flowers were mostly a bright blue, but splashes of deep red clashed against it, looking as if someone had just spilled paint all over them. Their petals splayed out, spiky and jagged, each one a different size.

“What's this called?” he asks.

Roman frowns and leans down to pluck one of the horrid things. “They don't have a name. These flowers, if you can even call them that, are the result of my first attempt at conjuring.” 

He recalls how upset he was after he had spent an entire day, concentrating all of his energy into just one little flower, and was instead greeted to this mess. He hadn't been around for too long at that point, maybe only a couple of days. 

Sneering in disgust, he drops it on the ground. “Quite hideous, aren't they?”

Virgil picks the flower back up, he twirls it between his fingers for a moment and then says, “Nah. I think they're pretty cool.”

He stands up and walks on, taking the flower with him. Roman stares after him, for a couple of confusing seconds, and then hurries to catch up.

* * *

“Uh...Princey?”

Roman pauses and glances around, only to find that Virgil had lagged behind at some point and he had failed to notice right away. He's embarrassed to admit it was because an idea suddenly struck him as they were walking and he just had to discuss it with him right then and there. Virgil hadn't complained, so hopefully he didn't mind listening to him ramble. 

Now, Virgil was standing in front of a bush with his head cocked to the side curiously.

“What did you find?” Roman asks, as he walks over to join him. 

Virgil raises his hand and says, “Look.”

Hanging off of the bush they were standing in front of were several, drooping flowers. At first glance, they appeared to just be shadows sitting amongst the bushes but they were actually a vivid black, so dark that most of their features could barely be made out; at least not to the average eye. As Virgil moves his hand to the left, the flowers actually lift up and slowly follow his movement. Roman's eyes widen as he watches Virgil smirk and then raise his hand up and down slowly, as if conducting them. The flowers obeyed his directions. 

“Well, that is...odd.”

Virgil takes his hand then and says, “Here, you try.” 

Roman isn't surprised when the flowers don't follow him, as Virgil leads his hand into their range. In fact, they shrink back into the bushes when he gets too close. 

Virgil lets go and asks, “Dude, is that normal?”

Roman can already tell that Virgil's starting to get anxious so he shrugs and says, “Maybe they just like your style, O short, dark and edgy,” hoping to lighten the mood. 

It works, as Virgil snorts and goes back to playing with the plants. They seem almost eager to follow him. 

“Heh. They've got good taste.”

Roman ignores the uneasiness he's feeling and focuses on being proud of Virgil's rare, non self-deprecating reply. He tries not to think about how there was really no doubt that these plants slipped out of someone else's realm and into his. 

He'll save that problem, if it ever even becomes one, for another day.

* * *

He's surprised to see Virgil take such an interest in the herb garden. Sitting against one of the walls was a short standing table; the wood old and worn down from the elements, but it looked sturdy enough. Bundles of herbs sitting out to dry along with various gardening tools were scattered on it haphazardly. Around the table were heavy, wooden tubs and clay pots; each one with a different plant overflowing out of it. 

Yes, the witch did take very good care of this place but it could still be a bit...neater. Also a good dusting every once in a while wouldn't hurt. 

Virgil starts to pluck some leaves off of one of the taller plants and Roman attempts to stop him, hurriedly saying, “Ah, I'm not actually sure what that is. Better to leave it alone-”

“Mugwort. It's used for divination or protection spells. It's good for encouraging more vivid dreams, too. I mean, I guess most people just cook with it, but you said this was a witch's house so I assumed that's what she's using it for.”

Roman stares at him, raising an eyebrow. “Well, alright, Logic,” he teases. 

Virgil flushes and looks down at the leaves he's pulled off. “Sorry. Um...I like this kind of stuff. Witch stuff. I don't know, it's stupid.” He pinches the leaves between his fingers and shrugs.

The smile falls from Roman's face. _Damn it_ , why did he have to be such an ass? He knew Virgil was insecure about, well, everything. He really didn't mean to make him feel bad, nothing was worse than when someone you cared about made fun of your interests. 

Roman looks around and then points to a random pot, “What's this?”

Virgil looks up at him and then to the plant he was pointing at, then slowly answers, “...mint.”

“What's it used for?”

Virgil sighs and shakes his head, “I know you don't actually give a shit, dude. You don't have to lie.”

It comes out sharp and Roman feels it's sting, but he doesn't relent, saying, “Virgil, I've visited this garden countless of times and I still have no clue what half of this stuff is. Perhaps, it would be nice to actually learn something for a change.” He plucks a leaf and holds it out to him, “Now, tell me what you'd use this for.”

Virgil doesn't look entirely convinced but he walks over and takes the leaf from him. He says, “Stomach problems and headaches,” and then, with the smallest hint of a smile, “Also, it just smells really good.”

Roman grins and points to another, “And this?”

It takes a couple of minutes but soon, Virgil is enthusiastically giving Roman a lesson in spells and rituals. It was rare to get Virgil to open up this much and just talk about his interests. Usually, whenever he would start to go on about something, he would eventually trail off and get embarrassed. Thinking he was being annoying, he would stop talking altogether and no amount of convincing from Roman could get him to start again. Seeing Virgil geeking out with him now was not only adorable, but a sign that they were making progress. 

Virgil was going on about the purification properties of basil when he suddenly shouts and his wings fling outward. Roman, who was standing right next to him, gets hit square in the face and he stumbles back, knocking over a couple of pots. He barely has the chance to steady himself when Virgil jumps onto the table, just as something fast and small speeds off under it. Virgil stands still, panting, his feathers thoroughly ruffled.

“Virgil, what-”

“Something grabbed my wing!”

Roman frowned. He didn't want to disregard Virgil but that seemed highly unlikely. The enchantments surrounding the garden kept out any intruders, be it curious animals or something more sinister. Virgil flinches as they both hear a skittering sound coming from underneath the table. They look at each other for a moment and then, cautiously, Virgil climbs down. Roman watches, making no attempt to stop him, as Virgil hesitantly leans down to get a closer look. He was stepping out of his comfort zone and Roman wasn't going to take that from him. Besides, he had a pretty good idea who the culprit was.

Virgil squints and then, he clicks his tongue in annoyance, “Are you freaking kidding me?”

“What is it?” Roman asks, a hint of amusement to his voice that Virgil does not miss. 

He turns to him, and deadpans, “It's a cat.”

As if being summoned, out from behind some old pottery and bags of fertilizer comes a tiny kitten. It moves carefully as it comes closer to Virgil and then, seeing Roman, it dashes over to him instead. 

He grins and bends down to pet it. “Toulouse! Now where have you been hiding all this time?”

It's a small thing, a couple of months old at most. Its fluffy fur was a burnt orange with a white tummy; it was also very dirty after hiding amongst the mess under the table. A light blue color sat around it's neck and it looks up at Roman with bright, green eyes. It rolls onto its back and purrs happily as he give it attention. 

“Really, Roman. You named him Toulouse?” He's pouting, but Roman knows he's alright, because Virgil's obviously trying to keep himself from smiling. 

Roman stands back up and says, “I didn't name him.” 

The cat gets up and sits itself between Roman's shoes. It looks up at him and then to Virgil; they both stare at each other curiously. 

“Thomas really wanted a cat when he was little, but of course, since he's allergic he couldn’t have one. He was pretty upset, so this little guy was created to help keep him happy for a while.” 

Virgil cocks his head to the side. Toulouse mimics him. “Like an imaginary friend?”

“Precisely.”

Toulouse finally gets up and comes a little closer to Virgil, but then he plops right back down and just stares at him. Virgil snorts and reaches his hand out for him to smell. He doesn't seem interested. 

Roman goes on, “When Thomas got a little older, he didn't think about him as much, and like all his fantasies, he eventually retreated deeper into my realm. He comes and goes but he seems to really like it here.” 

Virgil gives up trying to win Toulouse over and starts to stand, saying, “Okay, so...if you didn't create him, who-”

Roman ~~(thankfully)~~ doesn't get the chance to answer, as the cat suddenly darts for Virgil's wings as they sweep against the ground when he stands. A smile plays on Virgil's lips. He stretches out a wing and shakes it. Toulouse jumps up; he's too small to really reach, but he gives it his best try, only to fall back on his butt. He gets up right away and give it another shot, and another, and another. 

Virgil starts to giggle and Roman thinks he might actually die from how cute his boyfriend is, playing with this tiny kitten.

* * *

After a while, Roman leads Virgil towards the back of the garden, Toulouse joining them. He had been keeping close to Virgil as he was still trying to chase his wings, but the poor thing had tired himself out and now Virgil had him tucked against his arm. He looked utterly content and Roman couldn't help but feel a little jealous of it. How nice would it be, to cuddle against Virgil's chest with his arms wrapped around him tight? 

They sit on the grass, in the shade of a large tree that grew strange pink and red swirled fruits (and Roman stresses that Virgil is not to eat them). He leans against the tree while Virgil stretches on his belly, keeping close. His wings were too big and he couldn't comfortably lean back against anything. He watches Virgil pick up a stray feather and tickle Toulouse's nose with it who swatted at it lazily. Minus the few arguments they had earlier, this day really was turning out to be perfect. 

Virgil has his head resting in his other hand. He says quietly, “I wish I had brought my notebook.”

Roman rolls his head over to look at him, “Hm? Why's that?”

“This place is giving me a ton of inspiration to write.” Virgil places the feather on Toulouse's head who allows it, for now. 

Roman feels a swell of pride and he can't hide his smile. Taking him here was a good idea after all.

As much as he's told otherwise, not being able to make Virgil happy when he was feeling down made Roman feel like a complete failure of a boyfriend. Virgil always tells him it's not his fault, that's just how he is; “Happy” wasn't really his thing, but Roman could never accept that. He's seen first hand that it wasn't true. Virgil just needed time and plenty of support and Roman felt it was his duty to give him as much of it as he could. 

Roman teases him, just a little, and says, “See? Aren't you glad I dragged you out here today?”

“...yeah, I guess.” Virgil takes the feather back and twirls it between his fingers. “I'm...sorry about yelling at you earlier.”

He lets the feather go and it blows away. The cat watches it, but he doesn't follow. It yawns and makes itself comfortable in the grass and starts to doze off. 

Virgil won't look up at Roman when he goes on, saying, “I feel like I do that a lot. Apologize for saying or doing something stupid,” his voice lowers and he adds, “Some boyfriend, huh?”

No, no, no, _Roman_ was the shitty boyfriend. Virgil could definitely be a lot to handle at times but he was never too much. He hated to see Virgil put himself down like this. Why couldn't he see all the good in him that Roman sees? 

He sighs and says, “Don't beat yourself up over it, V. Both of us still have a lot to learn, it's alright.”

Virgil lays his head in the grass and lets out a heavy sigh, so Roman persists, “The fact that you apologize at all when you know you've done something wrong...it means a hell of a lot, Virgil. It shows me that you want this to work.”

Virgil still doesn't say anything, he's watching Toulouse but his eyes are distant. After a couple of minutes he sits up and scoots just a little bit closer to Roman, then draws his knees up, resting his chin on them. He looks towards the fountain, still lost in thought. Roman thinks about reaching out and running his fingers through his hair, especially now that he knows Virgil reacts so pleasantly to it. He could ask, but that's how it's always been, hasn't it? Roman would ask first and Virgil would just shrug as if he didn't care. Perhaps...now would be the perfect time to finally draw a real answer out of him. 

Being too forward could scare him, so Roman tries something else. 

“You know...you don't have to wait for me to bring you back here. You can just ask me and I'll take you whenever you'd like.”

Virgil finally spares him a glance and says, “Oh. Um...thanks but I...” He fiddles with a hole in his pant leg, focusing his eyes on that now, “Never mind.”

Roman shakes his head, “No, none of that this time.”

He gently pries those fingers from his pants and holds his hand. Virgil doesn't hold back, but he doesn't pull away either. 

“Virgil, listen. You can ask for things. It's been half a year since we got together, you're allowed to do that.” He gives him a comforting smile, “The chances of me turning you down are slim, love.” 

Virgil still refuses to meet his eyes, “I just don't want to bother you...”

Ah. Now they were getting somewhere. 

Roman chuckles and says, “I would think, that after years of pushing each others buttons, you would know by now that I love being bothered by you.” 

That earns him a snort and the tiniest smile, but it falls quickly and Roman wants to say more to bring it back up but he feels like he should wait now.

Virgil furrows his brows and mumbles out, “I...I guess I'm afraid.”

He squeezes his hand, “Of what, Virgil?”

Virgil finally laces their fingers together and it occurs to Roman then, that he must be incredibly touched starved if just a simple move could send shivers throughout him. 

Virgil says, “I'm afraid, that I'll ask for too much. Because...” He huffs out a frustrated sigh and finally meets Roman's eyes, “I'm so fucking selfish, Ro, and I...I want a lot.”

His violet eyes are just as gorgeous as his usual hazel ones and Roman wants to kiss him so badly right then, but he swallows those desires down and gently asks, “'A lot' of..?”

When Virgil finally answers, his voice is so quite he can barely hear him, but Roman reads his lips well enough as he says, “You.”

“Oh.” Roman thinks his heart might explode with just how fast it suddenly starts beating. 

Virgil starts to let go of his hand but Roman holds tight and boldly takes his chin in his other, tilting it up so he can't look away again. He wonders if his own blush is as bright as Virgil's.

“Darling, you couldn't possibly ask for too much of me,” and Roman wholeheartedly means that.

Virgil's lips part as if he wants to say something, but the words get stuck. He visibly tenses and Roman can actually feel his jaw tighten. As much as it pains him, he wants to give Virgil his space so he lets go of his chin. 

In one fast movement, Virgil grabs it back and presses it against his cheek. 

Roman's eyes widen and Virgil's dart down as his face lights up red. He looks incredibly embarrassed and it's absolutely adorable.

Roman swallows hard and whispers out, “...you've been too scared to ask me to touch you, is that it?”

Virgil flashes his eyes back up at him and gives a single nod.

Roman cups his cheek and strokes his thumb over a cheekbone, Virgil sighs and ever so slightly nuzzles against his touch. He wants to do so much more, now that he knows Virgil's anxiety was merely holding him back, but me makes himself let go and _god_ , those big puppy dog eyes Virgil gives him are going to kill him. He gives Virgil a reassuring smile and then leans back against the tree, opening his arms in a silent invitation to come closer. 

Virgil hesitates, looking him up and down as it he wasn't quite sure that was actually what Roman was suggesting, but then, he tentatively craws over to him and straddles his lap. His wings tuck closer against his back to make space and he lowers himself down some, making sure not to completely seat himself. If that was as far as he was willing to go, Roman would gladly take it. Virgil bites down on his bottom lip and Roman wants to draw it out of his mouth, but he keeps still, settling for wrapping his arms around his waist. His feathers tickle a little. 

Virgil starts to say, “You sure this is-,” and Roman is nodding before he finishes his sentence. 

“Dork,” he chuckles, and then he places his hands against Roman's chest. 

Virgil slowly draws them up, his hands trailing over Roman's neck, and then pauses before tracing his jaw with his slender fingers. He watches his own hands with fascination as they touch him and he wonders if Virgil knows how hard is heart is beating for him. Those fingers move to trace his lips and Roman gets the impulse to suck them into his mouth, but he behaves himself. 

Virgil opens his mouth to say something but then stops himself and Roman gives his waist an encouraging squeeze so he would go on. It works, and he asks, “Is this...good for you too?”

Roman lets out a sigh against his trailing fingers and says, “Oh dearest, yes. You have no idea.”

There's a pause in the touches, and then Virgil seats himself fully in his lap. Roman bites his tongue. He needed to behave (until Virgil told him otherwise).

“Would it be alright if I...kissed you?” Virgil asks shyly, and Roman just barely manages to keep it together. 

He had been waiting to be asked that for so long. They had kissed before, more than just quick pecks, but those instances were rare. He could probably count how many times they'd happened on one hand. Virgil had just asked to kiss him. Virgil _wanted_ to kiss him. 

All he can do is nod.

Virgil watches his reaction carefully, dissecting it. He looks...confused. Roman hoped that one day, Virgil would realize that he truly did drive him wild. He brushes his thumb across Roman's lips and then, gently, Virgil presses a kiss to them; just touching their lips together. 

The two of them were so caught up in each other, that neither one notices when Toulouse lifts his head up suddenly and stares at the hidden gate. Then he's up and dashing away towards it. 

Virgil takes Roman's face in his hands and gives him another kiss, this one lasting a little longer. The next one even longer, and the one after that, harder. Roman grips his waist and they sigh into each others mouths. Virgil traces his lips over his face, stopping to kiss his forehead, his nose, his cheeks. Everywhere. Roman felt like he was being claimed and it was incredible. Virgil, _his_ Virgil, really wanted him just as bad.

Then, as Virgil moves to pull him into another kiss, the gate swings open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** I’m sorry for not replying to comments but my anxiety has been kicking my ass harder than usual lately and I just can’t do it. I read all of them though, and I do appreciate them. Thank you guys.
> 
> Also, for anyone who didn’t get the reference, Toulouse is the name of one of the kittens from The Aristocats, a Disney movie. 
> 
> Also, also, this chapter was really fun to write, I hope you guys liked it!
> 
>  **Tumblr:** [@Princeofdespair](https://princeofdespair.tumblr.com/)


	4. Belinda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil knew he should have trusted his instincts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Minor violence, anxiety attacks, negative thinking, swearing.
> 
>  **A/N:** I’m doing a little better, thanks for the support guys. :’)

Virgil freezes in Roman's lap as he hears the sound of the gate creaking open, and then slamming shut. 

Roman whispers against his lips, “What is it?” 

A couple of soft footsteps and then suddenly, a high pitched voice rings out, “Oh, Toulouse! How are you, my sweet thing?”

Roman's eyes widen as he comes to his senses and picks up on what's happening. “Oh, shit,” he mumbles, and Virgil stares at him in disbelief. 

Roman pushes him off his lap and stands up. Virgil is right behind, scrambling up to his side. He hisses, “Princey, what the fuck?”

He shakes his head, “I-I'm, sorry. I thought-”

“Just get us out of here!” 

Roman bites his lip and looks towards the gate, as if conflicted, but Virgil doesn't waste any time trying to map out an escape route. The stone fence was pretty high; they could possibly scale it but the stones were all smooth or crumbling. They would probably fall. Maybe they could boost each other up instead? Or should they just try to stay hidden and sneak out through the front? 

Virgil's heart is already starting to pound against his chest and the voice ringing out, “Oh my! Is that right, Toulouse? We have guests?” only made it pick up speed. 

The footsteps start to get closer and Virgil grabs Roman's hand, tugging on it to get him to move. Roman doesn't budge. In fact, to Virgil's horror, he starts to walk _towards_ the voice. 

“What the hell are you doing?!” he whispers harshly and Roman, the absolute fool, turns back and grins at him. 

“Don't worry, I've got this.”

Virgil can't believe the fire he's seeing in Roman's eyes right now. He had no intention of running. Roman was itching for a fight. 

_Fucking. Idiot._

He moves forward and Virgil, in a panic, turns and runs to the left. He ducks behind some large pots, pushing his back to them and wincing as he tries to bring his wings as tight as he can around himself to keep them hidden. He doesn't have much hope that it's enough. Virgil's mind is screaming at him to just run, but as foolish as his boyfriend was, he couldn't leave Roman behind. He had to try and keep calm long enough to think of a plan to get them both out of this.

He risks a glance around and sees a little girl walking towards Roman...a little girl? She's distracted, so Virgil leans over a little more to get a closer look and sees right away that this was no ordinary child. 

Her skin is a light gray and he can just make out how rough it looks. She has bushy, black pigtails and two little horns sticking out on the top of her head through an oversized, pointed hat. Her eyes are a purple almost identical in shade to his own and her pupils are just thin slits. Virgil can see a pointed tail following behind her and when she smiles at Roman, her mouth is full of sharp teeth. She looked reptilian or...no. Dragon. This child was part dragon. 

She was a Dragon Witch.

If they made it out of here alive, Virgil was going to kick Princey's ass. 

“Prince Roman! It's been ages hasn't it! I've missed you!” Her voice is dripping with sweetness but the wicked grin said otherwise. 

Roman bows to her, “Belinda. I didn't expect you back so soon, dear friend.” His voice is even and dangerous, a tone Virgil wasn't used to hearing come out of him. He hated it. 

The witch laughs, it's airy and childish. It would have been cute if this wasn't, you know, an evil Dragon Witch. 

“Of course you didn't, you naughty thing,” and then she glances off to the side, towards where Virgil was hiding. 

He presses back up against the pots and holds his breath. 

Playfully, she drawls out, “Are you not going to introduce me to your companion, Prince Roman?”

_Shit._

There was that laugh again, then she says, “There's no point in hiding anymore, I can smell your fear from here. Besides, Toulouse told me I had _two_ guests.” 

As if on cue, Toulouse trots over to Virgil from around the other side of the pots, where he was apparently hiding this entire time. He sits in front of him and meows, effectively giving away any chance Virgil may have still had of hiding. He looks pleased with himself. The little traitor. 

Virgil needed to make a choice. If he runs, she would probably attack him, or worse, go for Roman instead. But he can't stay and hide here anymore either. Even if he could get away without being noticed, where would he go then? He might have a shot at getting to the gate but Roman was still...

“Leave him be,” he hears Roman say darkly, and then a sharp, _shiiiiing_ , echoes throughout the garden. He must have summoned a weapon. 

_Run, run, run, Princey don't do this, please, run, run, run..._

The witch starts to cackle and Virgil can feel a surge of energy crackle through the air. It's heavy and it's weighing his chest down and it's getting hard to breathe and _RUN, RUN, RUN..._

“Very well,” she says. “I believe we have some unfinished business anyway.”

Virgil can hear the taunting in Roman's voice as he says, “Well then, shall we?” 

A thunderous _BOOM!!!_ shakes the entire garden and Virgil's flight kicks in.

He's scrambling out from behind the pots, Toulouse hissing and diving out of his way. He sees Belinda raising up from the ground; a ring of black ash around her as some of the plants that where in her way sizzle into nothing. She's summoning green fire from her claws and Roman, a wild grin on his face, jumps back and puts some distance between them. One hand holds a short sword while the other glows bright as he traces invisible symbols into the air. Just as Belinda's fireball releases straight for him, a golden shield of light is brought to life from Roman's spell. The fireball slams into it just in time, instantly dispersing into a shower of sparks on impact. Roman wastes no time through the sudden chaos, gripping his sword and rushing towards her with a fierce battle cry. 

It all happens so fast that it makes Virgil's head spin. He runs until they're out of his line of sight but he can still hear them clearly; the clanking of Roman's sword, the swoosh of spells undoubtedly whizzing past his head, the back and forth taunting, the cocky laughter, the grunts and groans of battle. There's so much happening at once and every single sound is amplified in his ears; making his head pound with incessant warnings, screaming at him to-

_GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE! YOU NEED TO RUN! YOU NEED TO HIDE! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ROMAN, COWARD! GO BACK FOR HIM! RUN! HIDE! GO BACK! RUN! HIDE! GO BACK! RUN-_

Virgil's thoughts are so chaotic he can barely think straight but, through a very brief moment of clarity, he realizes that the sounds seem farther away now. 

He halts and frantically takes in his surroundings. He's somehow managed to run all the way back to the herb garden. Belinda and Roman were clear on the other side, which meant he had just enough time to- 

_HIDE!!!_

Virgil ducks under the table and is instantly curling up into a ball, holding his head in his shaking hands. His chest is so tight he can't breath and when something comes crashing into some pots on the table above him, shattering them into pieces, he starts to sob. 

He was so _stupid_ for trusting Roman. He should have listened to his gut and stayed home. He couldn't even call out to the others for help because their psychic connection was cut off in the realms. So, what the hell does he do now? It wasn't like he knew how to fight, so turning back now and joining Roman was pointless. But...what if Roman wasn't fast enough and the witch hits him? What if he gets hurt? What if she...what if Roman...?

They were going to die here. She was going to kill Roman and then go after Virgil and then Thomas was going to be wreck and _fuck, fuck, fuck, **FUCK!**_

The sounds of their battle had picked up again. They were getting closer...

Roman's boots suddenly come into his view from under the table. Through his tears, Virgil can see him summon two daggers, one in each hand, and then hears a whoosh, as Roman throws one of them ahead.

The witch cries out in outrage, “You hit my hat!”

Virgil can practically hear Roman's grin through his words, “Aw, I'm sorry, little one. But I'm sure if you're a good girl, your mommy will buy you a new one!” 

Belinda grits her teeth and growls, then shoots a bright purple streak of lightening through the air. Roman ducks just in time to avoid it. At this level, he finally meets Virgil; fingers digging into his scalp, breathing coming out in ragged gasps, eyes wide and wet with tears.

Prince's stupid grin falls immediately as he takes in Virgil's state.

“...V?”

While he's distracted, another fireball flings from the witch's claws and hits Roman in the arm. He cries out in pain, falling backwards and Virgil, still terrified and on the edge of a breakdown, is filled with something red hot. The heat starts to burn through his panic and he's moving forward in an instant; scrambling out from under the table and then standing up tall in front of Roman. His wings spread out as wide as they can go and his violet eyes blaze bright as he glares at the witch before him. 

The spell Belinda was readying stalls and she smirks at him. Intrigued, she says, “Oh my...aren't you an interesting creature.” 

Virgil is panting hard, his cheeks still streaked with drying tears. He has no idea what he's doing, rationality thrown out the window in his panic and rage. All he knows is he'll do whatever it takes to protect Roman. Virgil's not letting him get killed by this Dragon Witch, no matter how stupid he was for getting them into this mess in the first place. 

Behind him, he doesn't hear Roman say, “Uh...Belinda? Hold on-”

Another fireball blasts from her hands and races towards them. Roman jumps up and calls his name. He reaches out, but before he can grab him, Virgil draws his wings all the way back and then flaps them as hard as he can.

A gust of black shadows emit from his wings and rush forward, faster than the witches spell, slamming into it head on. Instead of dispersing it as Roman's shield had, the fireball is knocked _backwards_. Belinda has no time to move before her own spell hits her at double it's original speed, square in the chest. She gives a little, “Oof!” and goes flying back until she slams against the wall behind her. She slides down it and falls into a pile of flower pots with a thud. 

She doesn't get back up. 

Virgil's shoulders rise and fall as he pants. He had never done anything like that before. He didn't know he was capable of doing whatever the hell that was at all, but it didn't matter right now. They were safe. 

Roman pushes around him and stares at where the witch lied, his face unreadable. He starts to take a step towards her and Virgil shakes his head, remembering what they should have been doing from the start: getting the hell out of here. He grabs Roman's hand and pulls him as he runs to the front gate. 

Virgil feels Roman tug his hand back and he's saying something to him, but he can't hear. His heart is pounding too loud in his ears. When they reach the door, Virgil grabs the handle and cries out, pulling his hand back instantly. It burns. A flicker of fire runs along the door, invisible before he touched it. She enchanted the door. They were trapped. 

“Virgil, please! Will you listen to-”

The shrill scream that rings out seems to shake the very trees standing in the forest around them. They turn around and see Belinda rushing towards them, her form far less human than it was before. Wings of her own have sprouted from her back and her snout is starting to pull forward; her teeth getting bigger. This time, the fireball doesn't come from her hands. It fires out of her mouth and it's double the size of her previous ones. 

Virgil isn't quick enough to avoid it completely, but he manages to draw a wing around them both in an attempt to lessen the blow. The attack doesn't penetrate his wing somehow; a shimmer of purple energy blocks most of it, but the spell still explodes into sparks and singes some of his feathers. 

Feathers. His wings. He...has...

_WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!? YOU CAN FLY, DUMBASS!!!_

Virgil grabs Roman who cries, “Hey!” and picks him up bridal style. He was heavy, but thankfully not too bad and, oh god he hasn't done this in a while. He bends down, ignoring Roman as he says, “Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait, Virgil don't you dare-” and then launches himself into the air. Right as Belinda crashes head first into the door. 

Roman lets out a ear piercing scream and grips Virgil's neck so tight it hurts. He tries his best to ignore the pain and focuses on keeping them in the air. He flaps his wings hard, soaring higher and higher, until the garden and the witch's cottage are far behind them. For a moment, he thinks they're finally in the clear but then another fire ball whizzes past them and just barely misses. He hears Roman yell something, but he's too distracted to pay any attention to it. It's a wonder his heart hasn't just exploded at how fast it's beating but he can't afford to panic now. Not with Roman in his arms. 

He forces himself to look down so he can find a place to land and _oh, shit_. They were so high. If he drops Roman now, he'll fall to his death. This was a mistake. He didn't even know where he was going. Even with his sharp eyes, everything seemed to blend together from up here. He couldn't concentrate enough to figure out where to land. 

What was he thinking? He couldn't do this, he couldn't-

Roman's death grip loosens just a little and he nuzzles against his cheek, whispering, “It's okay. You got this,” and Virgil lets himself breath. Yeah. He could do this. He had to. They would be fine, he just needed to find a safe place to land, and soon. His wings were already getting tired...

Roman points out a gap between some trees and Virgil doesn't hesitate to fly down towards it, silently thanking him. It was immensely difficult to maneuver while carrying someone and being so out of practice didn't help. He couldn't keep this up much longer; his wings flapping harder and harder, the muscles in his arms taut as he held Roman's weight. The trees come closer into view and he starts to glide then, trying his best to keep his wings straight.

They start to move through the branches of the trees, and a jolt of fear shoots through him when his wing snags on one of them. It's not enough to completely stop him, thankfully, but he fumbles and can't help but frantically flap his wings in an attempt to steady himself. Roman stays calm in his arms and whispers more reassurance into his ear. He tells Virgil that everything was alright; that he just needed to breathe; that he trusts him. Virgil hangs onto every word like a lifeline.

He somehow manages to not kill them both as, finally, Virgil's feet touch the ground. His legs buckle and give way as soon as he lands, his body too drained to support Roman's weight anymore. Roman goes toppling from his arms and Virgil is right behind him, falling face first into the grass.

They made it, and with only a couple of bruises. 

Virgil is completely exhausted. His entire body aches as he pushes himself up and sits back against a nearby tree. He sees Roman get up and dust himself off too, then the prince looks over and beams at him. 

Virgil realizes then, with the threat presumably gone and the two of them safe and sound on the ground, that he's fucking furious.

* * *

“Belinda! Cease!”

Despite being so high up, the little witch can hear Roman clearly as he's swept away by his mate. She frowns, lowering her clawed hand readied with a second attack. With a sigh, she lets her form switch back into one more dignified as she watches them fly back towards the realm gate. She really had gotten carried away at the end, but could they really blame her after all that?

Belinda looks down at her chest. There was no burn, only a dark bruise and she could only imagine how bad her back must look; it ached something awful. That was really mean. Roman always played rough, but not _that rough_. At least not without warning her first.

Belinda sniffles and wipes at her eyes. That joke he made about her hat wasn't nice at all either and- Oh! Her hat! He knew that one was her favorite and he ruined it anyway! What a jerk! He had better make her a new one...

Toulouse comes out from where ever he was hiding and circles himself around her feet. He meows up at her, asking if she was alright. She supposed she was but that certainly wasn't much fun. Roman did say that his mate was strange, but goodness, he didn't have to hit her with something that hard! Maybe Roman forget to teach him all the rules or...hmm. That creature did look rather scared. Terrified even. His eyes were full of fear. Maybe...oh. Oh dear. 

Belinda sighs and scoops up Toulouse, then starts muttering spells to fix the garden back up. Broken pots start to put themselves back together and flowers start to come back to life, growing up out of their own ashes. Roman usually helped her with this, so next time, he got to do it all by himself. She should make him clean her house too, for all the trouble he caused today. 

Roman was a dear friend really, but he could be so careless. He must have forgotten to explain their little game to his mate. The winged prince probably thought she was really going to harm them. Ah well. Once Roman cleared everything up, like she knew he would, she would have to invite them over for tea. His mate, Virgil, really was an interesting being. They had a lot to talk about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, hope you guys are ready for a _feels_ trip next chapter.
> 
> Also, Belinda’s name was inspired by [this post](https://random-snippets.tumblr.com/post/166747899208/what-would-happen-if-roman-went-to-play-out-a) by random-snippets. I actually kind of love my little witch, I hope you guys end up liking her too. Little bit of a spoiler (though I think this is probably obvious lol), but this isn’t the last you see of her. :)
> 
>  **Tumblr:** [@Princeofdespair](https://princeofdespair.tumblr.com/)


	5. Holding On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman and Virgil learn what the secret to a healthy relationship is. Spoiler: It's communication.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Arguing, negative thinking, anxiety attacks, swearing.

“That...was...AMAZING!”

The two of them had landed in a small clearing; the trees around them so tall and thick they blocked out most of the bright sun. Only thin streaks of light penetrated through the leaves here and there. Roman had gotten up and was currently walking around the area, his hands moving excitedly as he rambled. 

“Virgil, you were incredible! Those quick reflexes and using your wings to knock the fire back?!? Where did you learn to do that? That was amazing, it was freaking _EPIC!_ ”

He doesn't notice Virgil pull himself up with some difficulty. He doesn't see his glare. 

Roman goes on, “You have so much potential! Why, with enough training I think you...could...”

He trails off as his eyes finally land on Virgil. He's supporting himself against a tree, breathing hard. His eyes are narrowed in a furious glare as he stares at Roman from under his bangs. 

“You...you hated that, didn't you?”

Virgil lets out a bitter laugh and says darkly, “Take a wild fucking guess.”

Roman rubs his hand on the back of his neck and sighs. “I suppose I have some explaining to do...” 

The look of fury that passes across Virgil's face has him taking a couple of steps back. Roman puts his hands out in front of him and makes a poor attempt to diffuse the situation. “Look, just hear me out first. I-”

“ _No._ I'm done listening to your bullshit, Princey.”

Roman scoffs and has the nerve to roll his eyes. It only fuels Virgil's anger. “Oh come now,” he says, putting a hand on his hip, “Is that really necessary? I think you're overreacting.”

“Overreacting? Are you kidding me?!”

Roman huffs and tries his best to keep his own rising temper under control. “I understand that you're upset, but Virgil-”

Virgil suddenly pushes himself off the tree and stomps towards him. He gets up close; forcing his way into Roman's personal space until their chests are practically touching. Roman flinches but doesn't back away as Virgil's voice rises with every word.

“You practically beg me to come out here, on one of the only days Thomas has off, swearing up and down that everything was fine!” He's mocking him now and Roman's brow twitches in annoyance. “It's just a little walk through my creepy forest! Straight into a _fucking Dragon Witch's house!_ What could go wrong?!”

Roman crosses his arms and steels himself. He's a little over a foot taller than Virgil who has to look up to meet his eyes, but that doesn't make the darker Side any less intimidating. His voice is calm, but it's laced with frustration as he says, “Virgil, you're being ridiculous. Despite that little...mishap, we were perfectly safe.”

Virgil's eyes widen in disbelief. “ _I'm_ being ridiculous? Really? Roman, you lied to me!”

Roman's eyes flick away from him as he says, “It wasn't exactly a lie...”

Virgil can not believe him. Roman was still insisting that he didn't do anything wrong, even after they literally almost died not ten minutes ago. He stretches out his singed wing and gestures to it saying, “You call that being safe, Roman?”

Guilt flashes across Roman's face for a moment, but then he shakes his head and says, “I would not have let any real harm come to you.” He straightens up and meets Virgil's eyes again. So sure of himself. 

Deep down, Virgil knows they both needed to take a step back so they could calm down and talk like adults; instead of bickering like children. But he can't. Not when Roman is looking at him so smug. Not until he admits he fucked up. Admits that Virgil was right. 

“So that makes it okay to put me, _to put us_ , in danger? Because you're a big strong hero and oh, nothing can defeat me! I'm Prince Roman! My life is a fucking Disney movie!”

Roman winces at his words but he doesn't retaliate. Instead, he forces himself to breathe. He takes a deep breath in and when he lets it back out he says in an even voice, “Virgil, you need to calm down. We won't get anywhere if we do this now. Let's just go back to the mindspace; we can talk about this later.”

No. Prince didn't get to be the voice of reason here. Virgil wouldn’t give that to him, it wasn't fair. This was all _his_ fault. 

Virgil's tone is downright spiteful and his words fall out of his mouth like knives as he says, “Were you hoping I would play damsel in distress and you could come rescue me? Is that what this was supposed to be? Does that get you off?”

Roman snaps. His attempt at making peace forgotten. “I just wanted to do something nice for you! Why are you acting like this?!” 

He's practically yelling and Virgil wants to shrink back away from him. He ignores his shaking hands and stands his ground.

“Something nice? Did you forget that I'm Thomas' anxiety? Did you really think that _Anxiety_ would like running around dodging fireballs and dragons?!?”

“Well, maybe if you actually talked to me and told me what you wanted, I wouldn't have to guess and _fuck up all the damn time!_ ”

The silence that follows weighs down upon them as Roman's words sink in. The bitter rage that was boiling up inside Virgil is rapidly being replaced by something ice cold that just leaves him feeling sick.

Roman lets his arms fall to his sides and he takes a step back. His voice is low when he speaks; he sounds exhausted. “What do you want from me, Virgil? A fight? Are you...looking for an out?”

Did he mean...

Virgil feels his chest start to tighten again. The icy feeling settling in his gut; he feels like he might throw up. He tries to force himself to open his mouth and say something, anything, but his tongue feels like it's glued to the roof of his mouth.

Funny how he had so much to say just moments ago. 

Roman runs a hand through his hair and looks down at the forest floor, his brows furrowed like he's trying to piece some difficult puzzle together. He says, almost to himself, “Or...are you too afraid to walk away yourself? So, you're trying to push me to-” 

He gasps and looks up at Virgil who wanted nothing more than to be swallowed up by the earth underneath his feet. 

“Do you want me to leave you?” 

_No. ___

“Is that it?”

_**NO!!!** _

Virgil opens his mouth to tell him no; tell him please; beg him to stay. But all that comes out is a pathetic whimper. 

Roman drags a hand over his face and looks away again, as if he couldn't bare the sight of him, but Virgil can't take his eyes off him. All he can do is stare and try to keep his shaking legs from giving out. Try to keep himself from completely falling apart. 

This was it. Any minute now, Roman was going to tell him that they were through. He always knew it would happen eventually, something this good couldn't possibly last forever, but there was always that dull flicker of hope that told him otherwise. It whispered that maybe, just maybe, this really would work out. The two of them could be happy together. 

He was an idiot for ever believing that. 

It feels like an eternity passes before Roman finally faces him. Virgil was bracing himself, expecting to see disappointment and disgust on his face, maybe even hate. What he gets instead, is fiery determination blazing behind his eyes. Virgil's not ready for it. It burns right through him.

“I'm not going anywhere. I love you, Virgil, and I'm not throwing away what we have over one stupid fight. But if you...if you really want this to be over...tell me right now and I'll walk away. Look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't want this anymore.”

Virgil breaks. 

He falls to his knees as hot tears begin to spill from his eyes. He had really tried to keep his shit together but this was just too much. He couldn't take it anymore. 

“Oh...oh, Virgil...”

In an instant, Roman is joining him on the ground, kneeling in front of him; Virgil is already too far gone to notice. He doesn't feel Roman's strong hands grip his own shaking ones. His thoughts too loud to hear him say, “Hey...hey, it's alright. Come on now, Virgil. You need to breathe...”

What was he supposed to do? The right thing would be to let him go, because Roman wasn't happy...right? How could he be, when Virgil was so terrible? Roman doesn't deserve all the shit he was being put through. The least Virgil could do, after hurting him so many times, was set him free.

“Breathe, baby. Remember, in for four seconds...”

Roman had said Virgil never talked to him, just forced him to play stupid guessing games and...he was right. Virgil always told himself he just didn't want to bother him but that wasn't all, was it? He was scared. He was always so fucking scared. Scared he would say the wrong thing. Scared he would ask for too much. Scared Roman would finally see how much of a freak he was and leave. But...did he really have a reason to still be this terrified? He had opened up to Roman long before they had gotten together; he knew how much of a mess Virgil was, and yet, he still asked him out. Even after pouring his poisoned heart out, Roman still wanted to be with him.

“There you go, my love. Just keep breathing. Come back to me...”

It didn't make any sense. Roman knew he didn't have to stay with him, but he was still here. He was always right there by his side because...Roman was so good. He was so, so good. He tried so hard to keep Virgil together and what does he do to repay him? Virgil had yelled at him. Called him an idiot. Mocked him. God, he was such a piece of shit. He was downright _evil_.

“Shh...it's alright. I'm here...”

Virgil loved him. God, he loved him _so fucking much_ but he didn't deserve him. He didn't deserve to have someone so good. He didn't deserve to be happy. So, why was Roman still putting up with this? Why-

“-are you trying so hard?”

“Because I love you, and you're worth it.” 

Virgil opened his eyes and saw Roman looking back at him, wiping his tears away. He hadn't realized he had said that out loud. He wasn't even sure when he had started breathing again. 

He whispers, voice hoarse from crying, “I don't understand.”

Roman sighs and brushes his bangs back. “I know, and you have no idea how much that pains me. To know that you think so terribly of yourself, that you truly don't see all the good that I see.” He strokes his cheek and Virgil raises a shaky hand to keep it there. “I wish you could understand that you're worth so much more than you think, Virgil.”

Virgil shakes his head. “But I hurt you.”

He smiles, but there's a sadness behind it. “Yes, you did. But I'm just as guilty. I...I'm so sorry, dearest. You were right. I should have told you the truth. I know walking into unfamiliar territory stress you out, but I just...I wanted to surprise you. I know that's a poor excuse but...”

Roman sighs, shaking his head, and then takes Virgil's face in his hands; forcing him to keep his eyes locked on his own. “Listen, love isn't easy, Virgil. We're going to make mistakes, no relationship is perfect. To be honest...I knew full well that making this work would be a challenge, but I didn't care. Do you know why?”

Virgil bites his lip and flashes his eyes down, giving Roman a small nod. Yeah, he knows. As hard as it was to convince himself, deep down, he really does know. The weak response wasn't good enough for Roman who shakes his head and says, “Tell me.”

“...because you love me.”

“Because I love you. So very much, Virgil.”

Virgil still thinks he doesn't deserve this. He could still tell Roman that it didn't matter, that he was done. He could put on his dark mask and hurt Roman so bad that he would leave and never come back. 

Instead, he chokes out, “I don't want this to end,” and Roman leans forward and presses his forehead against Virgil's. He leans into it, closing his eyes. 

“It doesn't have to,” and Virgil is sobbing again as he lets go, flinging himself onto Roman who holds him tight. 

Burying his face into Roman's neck, Virgil cries, “I'm sorry.”

Roman shushes him saying, “So am I. It's alright, love, you're okay. _We're_ okay.” His voice starts to crack as he adds, “We're going to make it. I promise.”

Roman's own eyes water with tears as he hugs Virgil close. He feels Virgil start to push back against his chest and he reluctantly loosens his grip. Before he can ask what's wrong, Virgil is grabbing his face and pulling him into a fierce kiss. It's harder than he's ever kissed him before and Roman is taken so off guard he can't bring himself to return it right away.

Virgil breaks apart much too soon and Roman stares at him in shock. He starts to stutter out, “S-sorry, holy shit I-I-just-,” and Roman throws all his control out the window and pulls him back in. Virgil makes a little gasp against his mouth but then he's wrapping his arms around his neck and all but melting against him. Six months of pent up restraint between them finally breaking.

* * *

Time moved strangely in the realms; an hour inside any one of them could be only a couple of minutes out. Not that it matter to the two of them, as they had a lot of making up to do.

When Virgil pulls away, his lips are reddening and the love bites peppering his pale neck were already starting to bruise. Roman matched. They take each other in and blush bright, Roman saying, “Well now, we may have gotten just a bit carried away.” 

Virgil giggles but it trails off into a sigh. Roman frowns but Virgil just says, “I...I'm glad you took me out today. The garden really was amazing.” He snorts. “The witch, not so much.”

Roman leans back, his arms still around Virgil's waist, and bites his lip. “Yes...about that. Uh, Belinda...isn't actually an evil witch.” 

Virgil raises an eyebrow and then extends his wing out, ruffling the damaged feathers. Roman tries, and fails, to hide his laugh and says, “Yeah, that is a rather convincing argument.” Then, seriously, “I'm so sorry about that by the way. Will you be alright?”

Virgil nods. “Yeah, don't worry about it. They grow back.” 

Roman tries not to dwell on the fact that Virgil had basically just let it slip that he's gotten injured before. He claimed he only summoned his wings while in the Realm of Dreams so where would he have...? 

Roman pushes that thought away for now and says, “Belinda is an old friend. The two of us have been sparring for years; it's like a game to her and it's a great way for me to train.” Virgil is starting to give him _that look_ and Roman can't help but shrink back a little, saying, “I, uh, neglected to tell her that we would be visiting today, as she had set off a couple of days ago, and I just couldn't wait any longer to show you the garden.”

Unbelievable. All of that could have been avoided if Roman had just-

Virgil gasps suddenly. “Wait, but...oh my god, Roman I hit her so hard! What if I-?”

Before Virgil has a chance to really work himself up again, Roman interrupts and says, “Oh no, she'll be fine. She is a dragon after all and her spells aren't actually set to kill. I mean, they do hurt, but nothing too bad. She will be unhappy about being thrown so hard though...”

Virgil just stares at him, speechless. Roman gives him a sheepish grin and says, “I'm sorry?”

He should still be mad at him, Roman caused so much trouble but...Virgil laughs. He doesn't know where it came from but once it starts bubbling out of him, he's powerless to stop it. He clutches his stomach and laughs harder than Roman has ever head him. He laughs so hard tears form in his eyes and through it, he cries, “You're-so-fucking-extra!” and he cackles like a maniac. 

Roman stares at him, not really sure what's going on. He feels like this is not the proper reaction he deserves but he can't help but start to chuckle himself. He guesses it doesn't really matter, because seeing Virgil like this was kind of amazing. 

Virgil falls out of Roman's arms and lands in the soft grass, then he rolls over onto his back, his wings spreading out around him. As he trails off into giggles, he actually feels a few tears fall. He's not really sure if they're still from his laughter, just relief or...something else entirely, but he makes no attempt to stop them.

Roman starts to crawl over to him but pauses, trying to find a way around his wings. Virgil mutters, “Give me a sec,” then closes his eyes and finally wills them away. They disperse into wispy shadows and all that's left are a few stray feathers. He feels one dull twinge between his shoulders but that was all, for now at least. Roman lays down close to him and they both stare up at the sky peeking between the trees above them.

Virgil wasn't okay. He was far from it, and he thinks Roman understands that. Despite knowing Virgil still had such a long way to go before he would ever really be 'okay', he was still here. After everything he's said and done in these past six months, Roman was still here. Virgil turns his head to look at his boyfriend. His stubborn, foolish, beautiful prince. Roman meets his gaze and his smile is full of love. 

“Ro?”

“Yes, V?”

Virgil takes a deep breath and finally, tells him what he wants. 

“Sometimes, all I want do is lay in your arms and watch cartoons all day.”

The fact that something so innocent and childish could be so hard for him to say was pathetic. Part of him is waiting for Roman to tell him that was a stupid want, or worse, but of course he doesn't. He just beams and says, “I would be honored to indulge you in that sometime, my dearest. All you need to do is ask,” and he looks so proud that Virgil feels his heart swell with an overwhelming love for him. 

“Can we go home and do that now?” Virgil asks.

Roman takes his hand and there's no hesitation when Virgil intertwines their fingers. Roman brings it up to his lips and kisses it, then says, “Of course, Virgil. That sounds lovely.”

They pull each other up and Roman steals another kiss, one that Virgil is happy to give back. Roman knows that he shouldn't expect this to be a normal occurrence between them just yet. Today had been emotional, they were both feeling so much all at once. He wouldn't be surprised if Virgil actually pulled back some after this; there was still a lot he needed to work through, but that was alright. Roman would be there to help him, always. 

They hold hands all the way back to the realm door and into Roman's room. Virgil shyly asks if they could just stay there, instead of heading into the commons, and Roman summons a TV right in front of his bed with just a flick of his wrist, along with a few extra fluffy pillows.

That's how they spend the rest of the day, just like Virgil had wanted. It really didn't matter what they watched, just that they were cuddled tightly against each other. Roman supplied most of the kisses and Virgil was more than willing to take them.

Around dinner time, Patton had poked his head into Roman's room only to find the two of them curled up in each others arms, sleeping safe and sound.

He decided to let them be.

* * *

Roman feels Virgil stir in his sleep. He threads his fingers through his hair, like the night before, to calm him. Virgil still blinks a couple of times and then yawns, looking up at him through sleep clouded eyes.

“Go back to sleep, dearest,” Roman whispers, smiling down at him. 

Virgil puts his head back down on his chest and cuddles into him, mumbling, “'Kay,” and Roman bites his tongue to keep from laughing.

Just as he's drifting off, Virgil sighs out a quite, “Love you, Ro.”

Roman gasps.

He had never...that was the first...

Roman knows he's basically talking in his sleep, but he still believes Virgil's words anyway. After everything that's happened, how could he not?

He nuzzles his face into Virgil's hair and whispers back, “I know, Virgil...I love you too.”

Roman closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep, hoping and dreaming that they'll make it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! The next chapter is going to be postponed for an extra week, so January 6 will be the next update. The entire story was rough drafted in November but I still need to go back and edit everything. It takes me a while and I’ve been pretty busy at home so I’m just going to take an extra week to try and finish as much of it as I can. Sorry about that, after this there should be no more interruptions. <3
> 
>  **Tumblr:** [@Princeofdespair](https://princeofdespair.tumblr.com/)


	6. Princes and Tea Parties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil hangs out with everyone's favorite little witch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Minor negative thinking, minor swearing.
> 
>  **A/N:** I hope this chapter came out all right, honestly not in the best headspace right now and I’m having a hard time writing. But I’m back and (hopefully) there won’t be any more delays.  <3

“Man, I'm so tired...”

Thomas raised his arms up and stretched, letting out a loud groan, then plopped them back down with a huff; frowning at his laptop screen, glowing way too bright before him. It was already two in the morning.

_Yeah, well who's fault is that?_

Thomas snorts and rubs at his eyes. He had been editing for over six hours now and his eyes were starting to blur and sting from the strain. Though he was alone in his living room, he still says out loud, “I mean, you are being very loud tonight, Virgil. Can't really sleep when you won't turn it down.”

 _...you haven't posted in two weeks. Someone has to kick your ass into gear._

Virgil could put on his dark persona all he wants, it still doesn't stop Thomas from feeling a dull sense of hurt in his words.

Honestly, Virgil had eased off of him quite a bit since the whole “ducking out” incident that took place a couple of years ago (and he supposed Roman was helping him now too). He really was trying not to stress him out too bad but, still, he was Anxiety, and Thomas' anxiety just happened to naturally be a little...heightened. Virgil couldn't just give him little nudges to keep him alert and on top of things. No, Virgil pushed. Some days more forcefully than others. 

_Tick-tock, Sanders. Every second you stall is a second closer to failure..._

As much as he didn't want to admit it...Virgil was right. He had too many projects to get done; too many deadlines to meet. He couldn't afford to keep taking such long breaks. 

_They're gonna forget about you, you know. Better get a move on unless you want to be left behind._

Thomas sighs and then closes his eyes, taking in a few deep breaths. As his own nerves begin to settle, he feels Virgil ever so slightly start to relax with him.

“Okay, Verge,” he says, cracking his knuckles and then resting his hands back on the keyboard. “I'll finish this tonight. I promise.

* * *

With a sigh, Virgil pulls back from Thomas just enough so he could actually focus and start working again; he feels Logan project himself stronger in return, taking his place. 

It was Logan who had actually taken his side during their last meeting, held only a couple of days ago (long after Thomas had went to bed so he had no real recollection of it). After the usual topics were covered (managing issues with friends, if there were any; reminders of forgotten chores; any bad habits that needed to be tended too; etc, etc.), Virgil had come forward and informed them all that he would be turning up his dial, so to speak. Thomas was slacking off way more than he could let get away with anymore, he felt like he needed to step in a little stronger now. 

He had stared down at the floor while he talked, refusing to meet their eyes and mentally bracing himself for the inevitable, most definitely heated, objections that would soon follow. Becoming closer with them all had it's downsides; being the “bad guy” was a hell of a lot harder now, because seeing them all so disappointed in him _sucked_. 

Surprisingly though, before Patton and Roman had time to protest, Logan stepped in.

_**L –** I was actually just going to suggest that myself, Virgil. I think, as long as you don't become too distressing, that's exactly what Thomas needs right now._

_**P –** Logan!_

_**L –** Patton, the last five videos were uploaded at least a week after they were scheduled to go out. It's becoming a frequent habit and I will not allow it to become the norm. I think it's high time Virgil started pushing again. _

_**P –** But Logan, it's not like he hasn't been working hard! I mean for goodness sake, he's only been getting five hours of sleep a night! Sometimes not even that! We can't let Thomas wear himself out..._

_**R –** Yeah, I have to agree with Patton on this one. Virgil, dearest, I understand you think this is for the best but-_

_**L –** If Virgil and I push Thomas just a little harder, he can finally start getting projects done faster. Which means he can start on the new ones you've been waiting oh-so-patiently to spring on him._

_**R –** ...Logan, you're playing dirty._

_**L –** I'm doing what I have too. The end result will be worth it. Patton, five hours of sleep a night isn't...ideal, but it's enough to keep him functioning sufficiently. You don't need to worry. So, Roman?_

_**R –** ...fine. Do what you must._

_**L –** Patton?_

_**P –** It's not like I have much of a choice, do I? _

_**V –** Sorry, Pat...I'll take it easy on him. Promise._

He felt awful seeing Patton so hurt, but it was for Thomas' own good. Besides, Logan would undoubtedly talk to him later so it should be-

There's three, light taps on Virgil's door, and it opens just a crack before he has the chance to say anything. There, peeking his head in through the small opening, is Patton.

Of course it had to be Patton.

“Hey, kiddo! Do you um...mind stopping by my room for a couple of minutes? Promise it won't take long!”

_...shit._

“Yeah, sure Pat,” he says, and through the smile Patton gives him, Virgil can clearly see how tired he is.

There was no point in keeping him waiting, so Virgil gets up right away and follows Patton across the commons and into his bedroom. Once inside, Patton gestures to his couch and Virgil takes a seat; Patton joins him, settling down with a long sigh. Virgil can feel his heart starting to pick up speed but he does his best to relax. 

_It's just Patton, he wouldn't say or do anything to hurt you ~~(probably)~~. It's okay._

He was getting better. He was trying, at least. 

Patton takes off his glasses and rubs at his eyes. “I'm going to be honest with you, Verge. I'm really worried about Thomas.”

Virgil's heart thuds a little harder in his chest but he keeps his breathing even. It wasn't like he didn't know what this would be about before he came in here.

“I know, Pat, but we can't keep putting this video off. It's scheduled to go out tomorrow night and he still has plenty of work to do.” Virgil rubs the back of his neck and looks away, saying, “He slept in late today, so he had to make up for it and work extra-”

“He slept in because he was up all night filming!”

Virgil flinches back as Patton quickly puts a hand over his mouth; eyes wide as if he was shocked by his own outburst. He shakes his head and says, “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, kiddo, I shouldn't have...” He sighs, putting a hand on Virgil's knee. “I'm just tired, Virgil. We all are.”

This was his fault. It's _always_ his fault. Having Logan's support this time around didn't make a difference. They were all so worn out and high strung and it was _his fault_.

Patton sniffles and looks up at him, his eyes glossy. He says, “That's no excuse for losing my temper like that. I'm sor-”

“Patton, it's okay,” he interjects before the older side could get any more upset. Patton always got more emotional when he was stressed out. Seeing his mood change so quickly meant this really was wearing him down. “I get it. It's...not your fault. Don't worry about it.”

Patton manages to smile at him and he gives his knee a squeeze. His voice is softer now as he says, “Look, I'm...I'm asking for one day, Virgil. I know what Logan said but...” He trails off and Virgil finds himself reaching out to cover the hand that was still on his knee. Going on, he asks, “Can you give Thomas a break tomorrow? Please? Would you do that for me, Verge?”

Does Patton know that Virgil loved him enough to do practically anything for him? Did he know how hard it was for him to say no? 

His instincts are telling him there was no way he could do that. With the video being finished tonight, tomorrow they could go straight into working on the script for the next one but...

Virgil nods and Patton's smile finally spreads across his face like it normal does. 

“Thank you, Virgil. Thank you so much. I'll take care of Logan, okay? You don't need to worry about anything.”

That was all he did, worry about things. It was kind of his job.

* * *

When Virgil leaves Patton's room and starts to head back into his own, he glances over at Roman's door and stops. Just one day off and then he was back to poking and prodding at Thomas every couple of minutes until he focused on nothing but work. No hanging out with friends, no catching up on TV shows, no playing video games. Write, film, edit, upload and then start all over again. Repeat, repeat, repeat. All while Virgil nagged at him incessantly, reminding him of all the terrible things that could happen if he stops. 

So what was he thinking? Standing outside of his boyfriend's door like a creep. There was no way he would want to see him, right? Not when he-

_Stop. It's not like that anymore. Roman loves you, he understands. They **all** understand. It's okay. You're just doing your job..._

Virgil walks up to his door, hesitates for another thirty seconds, and then knocks before he can talk himself out of it.

He hears some shuffling from the other side of the door and then soon after, Roman answers. There was no reason for him to be wearing his usual princely attire when it was this late, so Virgil shouldn't have been surprised to see him in nothing but an oversized t-shirt _(he's not wearing pants and that shirt barely reaches his knees and man, he's **fucking cute** and-)_.

Virgil clears his throat and ignores the warm flush settling across his cheeks. “Uh, hi. Sorry. I-I know it's late but, I just um...I knew you wouldn't be asleep with Thomas still working...”

Roman smirks and leans against the door frame. “I let Logan take over with helping him edit tonight. He has all my notes so I trust he'll do fine.” He tilts his head, gesturing behind him and says, “I was actually just about to put on a movie,” his voice deepens ever so slightly as he drawls out, “Would you like to join me?”

It was bait, and damn if it wasn't tempting. As much as he would like to take him up on that, Virgil shakes his head and says, “Can't. Next time though.”

He doesn't miss how Roman's smile falls a little but, thankfully, he doesn't push it. “Alright then,” he says. “To what do I owe your visit, lovely?”

Ugh. What an ass. He already knew Virgil wasn't giving in, there was no reason to try and be so damn...charming.

Virgil swallows down the urge to kiss him senseless and says, “I was actually wondering if maybe tomorrow...you could take me back to the garden?” 

If he was actually going to take the day off, he really didn't want to be in the mindscape as Logan would undoubtedly get after him. Besides that, he really did want to go back. It had been over a month since the first trip and he couldn't help but be at least a little curious about that witch, as much as he was afraid of her. If anything, he still owed her an apology for their little...misunderstanding.

Roman beams at him. “Absolutely! I haven't actually had time to talk to Belinda in quite a while and she's always wanted to meet you. I'd love to take you back!”

Virgil smiles, seeing Roman get so excited. “Cool. I guess...I'll stop by sometime tomorrow? If that's okay?”

Roman gives him a nod. “Of course it is, but...” He reaches out and brushes across his bangs gently and asks, “Are you sure you can't stay tonight? Even just for a little while?”

Tempting. So, so tempting.

“I really have to go, I'm sorry, Ro.”

Roman sighs and lets his hand fall. “Yeah...I know.” 

The darker part of Virgil was trying really hard to convince him that Roman only cared about the stress he was putting on Thomas. He didn't actually care if Virgil stayed or not. That was why there was a hint of sadness in his eyes, not because-

_...he probably misses you._

Or...or it could be that. Maybe.

“Well...I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, darling.”

Before Roman can close the door Virgil moves forward and places a hand on his cheek. His heart thuds in his chest, waiting to see if Roman cringes or pushes him away. He doesn't. Instead, he bites down on his lip as his cheeks light up pink.

“Can I-”

“You don't need to ask,” Roman whispers, assuring him for what was probably the thousandth time. 

Virgil gives him a smirk and then, gently, presses his lip against Roman's in a light kiss. Roman carefully puts his hands on Virgil's waist, pulling him closer, and lets him lead. 

Tempting, tempting, tempting...

Virgil forces himself to pull away after only a minute and the hands on his hips tightened just a little. He reaches down and gently pries them off.

“Night,” he whispers, and then turns around and heads back into his room, leaving Roman to stand in his doorway with a stupid grin on his face.

Those dark thoughts didn't disappear overnight, they both knew they wouldn't. Virgil knew that he would constantly have to fight them, some days a little harder than others, but he was trying and like Roman had said that was all that mattered.

As soon as he's back in his room, he feels Logan silently ask for his assistance. Thomas had already stopped for another break; it had only been ten minutes. He leans back against his door and sighs. Now, more than ever, he wanted so bad to just turn back around and crawl into Roman's bed but...he can't. He has a job to do after all.

Virgil closes his eyes and, once again, pushes. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he hears Patton sigh.

* * *

Patton was the one who always got them all out of bed in the mornings, but today, he let them sleep; they all needed the rest. Unfortunately, this meant Virgil didn't wake up until four in the afternoon. 

Two minutes after waking up and groggily glancing at his clock, Virgil was out of bed and dressed, racing towards Roman's room; already apologizing before the prince even opened his door all the way. He didn't seem to mind. He was just happy to see Virgil had finally gotten a good amount of sleep for a change. 

As soon as they're inside the Realm of Dreams, with the doors shut and locked behind them, Roman simply asks, “Wings?” 

Virgil shakes his head and Roman frowns. The ache between his shoulders had long since returned after their visit one month ago, but after the chaos that had transpired he was just too nervous to let them loose. Especially if they were going to see the witch today. Besides, he had gone a lot longer without stretching, this was nothing. 

Roman gives him a sigh but he doesn't argue with him. He just reaches down to take his hand and then starts to lead them deeper into the forest; down the same dark path as before.

Knowing exactly where they were going and what to expect made the trip this time around significantly more pleasant. Not that it really mattered, as Roman excitedly telling him about all the new ideas he had for Thomas the whole way there distracted him from anything that would have upset him anyway. Honestly, he really should reel Roman back in some, especially after what Patton had said to him the night before, but he lets him go on. Shooting down Roman's ideas risked starting a fight and there was no way Virgil was going to ruin what was shaping up to be a good day. Not this time.

Pushing past the brush like before and then walking into the open space where the little cottage sat, Virgil couldn't help but tag just a couple of steps behind Roman. As warm and inviting as the place looked, with light glowing dimly through the windows and a steady stream of smoke slowly rising from the chimney, he was starting to get nervous again. Belinda might not be an evil witch but Roman had made sure to warn him ahead of time that she was a bit...eccentric, to say the least. He could only hope she wasn't too much to handle, though, anything was better than the mess she threw at them last time.

As the two of them approach the cottage, Roman spreads his arms wide and calls out theatrically, “Oh great and powerful Witch of the Woods! We mean you no harm! Please, grace us with your presence!”

Before Virgil can tell him to stop being a jackass, the door flings open and bangs against the side of the house, making him jump and grip Roman's hand tighter. There, standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips, was Belinda.

The intense glare she's giving them sets Virgil's nerves on end. For someone so small, she sure as hell was intimidating. 

“Hmph. That's 'oh great, powerful, magnificent and utterly adorable Dragon Witch of the Woods' to you!” Then she comes stomping out towards them and Virgil finds himself taking another step back.

“My mistake, old friend,” Roman says, giving her a bow. “I was-”

“Where have you been?!” She yells, marching all the way up to Roman; she barely reaches his waist. “You make a mess of my garden, throw me around like I'm some sort of doll, ruin my favorite hat and then just leave without even apologizing!? What is the matter with you!?”

She shoves at him and despite her size, Roman is easily knocked off balance. He falls backwards, landing flat on his ass with a grunt. Virgil's protective instincts flare and he wants to stop her somehow but Roman just shoots him a look that manages to tell him it's alright. So, Virgil takes a step back and watches instead, still very much alert. 

Maybe he should have switched to his winged form after all.

Roman gives her a sympathetic smile and says, “Belinda, I'm so sorry. You're right, I should have-”

“I want a new hat!”

Virgil can't help but snort out a laugh as his big, strong hero flinches at this angry little kid, but his laughter quickly dies off as Belinda suddenly turns her attention to him. She hurries over and grabs his hand. 

“You can come inside,” she tells him, and then glaring back at Roman says, “But _you_ can't come in until you make me a new hat.” With that, she tugs on Virgil's hand and strides back towards her house. 

Virgil looks behind him at Roman, a panicked look on his face. Her grip was really strong and he doesn't feel like he has a choice but to follow her. Roman just looks at them, bewildered, and then gives him a shrug as Virgil is pulled into the witch's house, the door slamming behind him.

Great. This was totally how he wanted to spend his day. Held hostage by a Dragon Witch.

Belinda lets go of his hand with a little huff and then leaves him at the door, hurrying off to start digging in a dusty cupboard. Virgil stays stills, but his eyes start to wander around the small house. He wasn't really surprised to see that it was actually fully furnished and tidy, unlike the cobweb ridden mess he saw when he snuck a peek into her window when he was first brought here. It was probably just part of the same spell that disguised the garden from the outside. 

He feels his stomach start to tighten as he looks back at the little witch. Sure he's anxious, but more than anything now, he just felt really awkward. He was just standing there. Should he offer to help or maybe run back outside to Princey or-

“Sit,” Belinda says, bringing him out of his thoughts. She gestures behind her to a, thankfully, adult sized chair sitting next to her fireplace. From the other side of the door, Virgil hears Roman sigh and then feels a faint energy in the air, one he recognizes as a conjuring spell. He must actually intend on making her a hat. So...did that mean everything was okay? If Roman wasn't busting down the door to come rescue him it must be, right? 

Not really seeing any other option, Virgil finally moves and takes a seat on the chair she had instructed him to use. It creaks ominously under him but it was comfortable enough at least.

He only has to wait a couple of seconds before Belinda comes back from her cupboard with two mugs, each with a tea bag in it. She hands one to Virgil, who takes it cautiously, and then she waves her hand towards the kettle hanging over her hearth. It floats up and then hovers over to him. He does his best to keep his hands steady as it pours hot water into his mug and then drifts over to Belinda to do the same with her own. She starts to take a seat in the much smaller chair across from him but then pauses and glances to the door. She snaps her fingers but...nothing happens. Still she nods, seemingly satisfied, and then takes a seat. Her bright eyes falling on him.

This...was so fucking weird.

She tilts her head to the side with a small frown and then asks, “Why are you in that form?”

Virgil hated talking to new people, no matter how old they were; kids stressed him out just as much as adults. But, was this even a kid? She looked and definitely acted like one but there was also something about her that made him feel like she was much older than she was letting on. Roman did call her an old friend...

Shrugging and staring down into his mug he says, “Um, you're talking about my wings, right?” She doesn't say anything so he goes on. “I dunno. Just didn't feel like it today, I guess.” God, he wished Roman would hurry the hell up and save him from this awkwardness. He takes a sip of his tea just for something to do. It barely had any strength to it yet.

Belinda hums and says, “I see. Though it is odd, seeing the Prince of Shadows without his shadows. Quite strange indeed.”

Virgil nearly chokes on his tea, spilling some of it onto his lap in the process. Belinda doesn't seem to notice.

Before he can respond, from outside they hear Roman shout, “Alright! I made you one!”

Belinda gets up and peeks out the front door. “Oh, that will not do at all!” She says. “I want yellow flowers, not red!” Then she shuts the door again, leaving Roman groaning in frustration as he presumably starts all over.

She comes back and settles down into her chair again saying, “Anyway, where were we?”

Virgil shakes his head, utterly confused. “Uh...Roman is the only prince-”

“Oh no, all of Thomas' Sides are princes in their own right. That would include you, dear Virgil.”

She smiles at him and Virgil decides the best thing to do was just change the subject because he had a feeling he wouldn't get anywhere arguing with her. He was no prince; princes were supposed to be brave and strong and he was the total opposite of that. And the whole 'of shadows' thing? What the hell did that even mean?

“Look, I just...I wanted to apologize for attacking you the last time we were here. I really didn't mean to...” He looks down at his feet, muttering, “Sorry. I hope I didn't hurt you too bad-” 

Belinda lets out a bubbly laugh before he can finish and in this setting, it's almost comforting. She says, “Oh my, yes! That hurt quite a bit!” Virgil winces and forces himself to look up at her, but before he can grovel any further she goes on to say, “But it's alright, I'm not upset with you. Roman on the other hand...” She scowls at the door for a moment, then lets out a heavy sigh and turns back to Virgil. “It doesn't matter now, I suppose. What's done is done.” 

“I...I guess.” Her words didn't really make him feel any better about the whole thing.

“Besides,” she starts, lifting her cup up to her lips. “You didn't know any better. You were only trying to protect your mate.” She takes a long sip, humming contently.

His mate, huh? Okay, sure. Kind of weird but Virgil is learning to just accept that almost everything that comes out of Belinda's mouth is going to be a little different. Not knowing how to keep the conversation going (and honestly not wanting to anyway), he distracts himself with more tea. It's strong of cinnamon. Not bad, but it needed sugar. He was way too nervous to actually ask if she had any though.

The awkward silence doesn't last long as Belinda sets her cup down and says, “You know, Roman has told me quite a lot about you, little prince. I've wanted to meet you for some time now.” 

Virgil can't help but smile a little. Roman must really be into him if he was gossiping about him to little girls. He guesses he should be flattered, even if it was still hard to believe. 

Belinda goes on, absently tugging on a pigtail. “Yes, though, in all these years...he's neglected to mention your...unique, abilities. I must say, I'm _very_ interested in-”

“Okay, I'm done! One witch's hat with yellow, not red, flowers!”

Belinda clicks her tongue, obviously annoyed at the interruption, and gets up again; marching over to her door and then opening it just a crack. This time, she barely examines the hat at all before she says, “Hm, too pointy,” and then slams it back shut in Roman's face.

“Belinda, for goodness sakes!” Roman yells. 

Virgil is getting more anxious by the minute. He was honestly thinking about just making a run for it but as Belinda sits back down, she sighs and says, “You must be quite suspicious of me now, I do apologize. It's just...I find you fascinating, little prince.”

Virgil frowns. “Why?” he asks. “I mean, besides my stupid wings and creepy shadow...magic? Or whatever? I don't even-” He huffs, frustrated and says, “Look, I don't know what Roman's told you but...I'm nothing special.” 

“Nothing special?” she asks, looking at him in genuine confusion. She leans forward and stares at him so intensely, Virgil feels himself actually shrinking back into the chair in a pointless attempt to get away from her. It felt like she was looking right through him. 

Slowly she says, “You...are the embodiment of anxiety. No, of fear itself.”

Virgil doesn't know why her words sting him so bad, she was right after all. He was fear. Fear and anxiety and cowardice and-

“Yet, you have such a kind heart.”

Virgil's eyes widen. “I...what?”

Belinda smiles. “I must admit, when I realized that Roman was starting to fall for you...I was concerned. One would think that Anxiety, that _Fear_ , would have a heart shrouded in darkness. I was afraid you would hurt him.”

Virgil interrupts her, almost shouting, “No! I would never-”

“It's alright. I know you wouldn't, I can tell. You're not pure of heart by any means, you can't really help that, I suppose, but you are very, very good, dear Virgil.” Her sharp, violet eyes bore into him and he can't look away as she says, “You love him very much, don't you?”

Virgil, without hesitation, replies, “More than anything.”

“You love all of them. The Prince of Heart. The Prince of Reason. Thomas. You would do anything for them, wouldn't you?”

...did she mean Patton and Logan? What the hell was this? Was this some weird fairy tale game she was playing or was there actual meaning behind all this cryptic bullshit? All of it was actually starting to give him a headache but even so, Virgil feels compelled to give her an answer. 

“Yeah. I would.” And he means it.

Belinda gives him a firm nod and then leans back out of his space. With a smirk she says, “Hmph. Yes, I think you'll do nicely.”

He's completely at a loss at this point but to his relief, Roman finally takes it upon himself to walk right in. Belinda twists around, baring her teeth at him in a fierce scowl but then her face lights up as Roman holds out her brand new hat. It's black, with a light blue ribbon and several types of yellow flowers, all different sizes, sitting along the brim; the tip of the hat actually flopping down instead of standing upright. Virgil thought is was pretty tacky honestly but Belinda squeals in delight and rushes over to him, snatching it out of his hands and quickly placing it on her head. She runs across the room to a tall mirror sitting on the wall and starts twirling around in front of it, striking a couple of poses. 

Virgil looks up at Roman desperately as he walks over to him, his prince reaching out to run a hand through his hair; Virgil gratefully welcomes his touch. “Sorry, sunshine,” he whispers as he leans down to place a quick kiss on his forehead. “I won't leave you alone again.”

Virgil sighs. He was supposed to be giving Thomas a break today, let him relax, but they still had a connection and he was sure Thomas could feel at least a hint of Virgil's discomfort. He just hoped it wasn't bad enough to stress him out. 

Roman sits back up and then clears his throat. “Ah, Belinda? Virgil actually wanted to visit your lovely garden again, it that was alright with you.”

Belinda gives herself one more good once over and then skips over to Roman. She gives him a sharp, toothy smile, apparently her anger at him vanishing as soon as she put the hat on her head. “Of course,” she says. “You're both free to come here whenever you like!” Then she's starts towards her door, pausing for a moment to call out, “Toulouse? Would you like to join us?”

Virgil didn't even notice the little cat, all curled up on the top of one of Belinda's cupboards. He was practically camouflaged amongst several boxes of tea. Toulouse lifts his head up to consider her but then puts it back down, tail flicking lazily. Maybe he was still cautious after what happened the last time; Virgil couldn't blame him.

She shrugs and then skips out the door. Virgil sets down his tea, with only two sips taken out of it, and then takes Roman's offered hand; the two following right behind the odd, little witch. 

This entire encounter was just bizarre. He wonders if he should even bother telling Roman about it later, but he honestly didn't want to think about it any more than he had to...

Virgil steals a glance up at his boyfriend as Belinda unlocks the garden gate for them. Roman catches his eyes and flashes him a grin.

No, it should be fine. It was probably all just a part of her game. There was nothing to be concerned about. 

Hopefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Fun fact, this chapter actually had to be split into two because I ended up going waaaaaay overboard lol.


	7. The Witch's Game (Part 1/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman gets suspicious...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Minor violence.
> 
>  **A/N:** So much for ‘there won’t be any more delays’, huh? Sorry about that but my mental health comes before anything else. You guys understand, right? Anyway, I’m gonna go ahead and say no more strict schedule but I sure as hell won’t make you wait a _whole freaking month_ between updates again. Pinky promise.  <3

The moment they step through the gate, Virgil is tugging on Roman's hand and quickly leading them to the back of the garden; towards the fruit trees, far away from Belinda. Thankfully, Virgil didn't seem to be panicking, but it was obvious that whatever transpired between him and Belinda made him anxious; more anxious than he was by default anyway.

 _Damn it._ Roman knew he should have insisted that she let him in the moment he sensed the silencing spell being cast on the door.

He had honestly thought there would be no harm in letting the two of them talk alone for at least a couple of minutes. Roman had known Belinda for practically his entire existence, he trusted her wholeheartedly; she wouldn't possibly do or say anything to hurt Virgil, so then...why did she enchant the friggin' door?!

The enchantment prevented anyone outside of the room it was cast in from hearing a single thing inside. It didn't matter if the door was as old and rickety as the one on the cottage, in fact, the door could be wide open but as long as you were on the other side, no sound could be heard. It was a simple spell, one that didn't require much effort to cast. Virgil wouldn't have picked up on anything strange, but Roman felt it instantly; let alone the fact that one second he's hearing cups rattling around in a cupboard and the next it's dead silent. Now, the question was, why did she feel the need to hide? What could they have possibly been talking about that was so important it needed to be kept from him?

Well, he would find out soon enough, because Virgil was surely going to spill all the details of their little chat.

Surprisingly, after the two of them had settled into the grass under the shade of an apple tree, all Virgil did was mention that he had forgotten to bring a notebook with him. Roman, as casually as he could, in case Virgil was actually more upset than he was letting on, tried to coax an explanation out of him.

“Did the two of you get along okay? I didn't want to be rude and listen in but, I can't say that I'm not at least a little bit...curious.”

Roman didn't intend to tell Virgil about the enchanted door, at least not now. It would only stress him out and Roman really wanted him to spend the rest of the day relaxing before he had to get back to work tomorrow.

Virgil had only shrugged and said, “...nothing really happened. She was just...super weird.”

That was all. He didn't leave any room for the conversation to go further so Roman decided that it was best not to push it (even though he _very_ much wanted to).

Leaving the subject alone, for now at least, Roman gets to work on his second conjured item of the day: A brand new notebook for Virgil. It doesn't take nearly as long to create as that damn hat, but he still puts plenty of effort into making it look nice. He was actually quite pleased with how it came out, with intricate swirls of black and red patterned over a dark purple background (only the edgiest of gifts for his beloved), though Virgil didn't seem to be amused. He just rolled his eyes and took the notebook from Roman's offered hand, then asked him to make a pen (“a _normal_ pen, asshole”).

Now, with Virgil seemingly content, Roman could move on to his next task. He had a witch to interrogate.

As much as he wanted to keep his promise and stick close to his dark prince's side for the rest of the day, Roman really needed to speak to Belinda. Privately. Virgil could shrug him off all he wants but Roman knew better. Whatever had transpired during their talk obviously wound him up and besides that, there was still the question of the door. So, after several minutes of reassuring Virgil that he would in fact, only be a moment, Roman sets off back towards the front of the garden where they last left the little witch.

He finds her standing among a spread of pink and white peonies, holding a small watering can and humming happily as she sprinkled water over the flowers. He clears his throat from behind her but she pays him no mind; if anything she starts humming louder.

Roman crosses his arms and asks slowly, “So...what did the two of you talk about in there?”

She glances over her shoulder at him with an innocent little, “Hm?”

Roman just blinks back at her. Waiting.

She hums again and places a finger on her chin as if she actually had to think about it. “Oh, you know,” she says, “This and that.”

“Belinda,” he deadpans.

“Prince Roman,” she replies, with the same lack of enthusiasm.

Roman sighs and moves to stand by her side, though she still refuses to properly acknowledge him. Gently he says, “Look, I truly am sorry for all the trouble I caused you, Lin. But please, I just want us to move past this and-”

Before he could finish, Belinda spins around to look up at him, her brows furrowed in a glare as she practically shouts, “Why didn't you tell me Virgil could use magic!”

Roman stares at her, completely taken aback at her outburst. Out of all the things she should be upset with him about that was...

Oh. _Oh._ So that's what this is about.

Fantastic.

Belinda doesn't wait for him to answer her as she launches into a rant, talking so fast he could barely make out what she was saying anymore.

“Years, Roman! I've been asking you to bring one of the others out here for years! You said Heart didn't like to play rough and Reason wouldn't be any fun but you never said anything about Shadows! His magic is incredible and he can fly, Roman!? We could have been doing this ages ago...”

Roman gets down on one knee so that he's closer to her eye level, and then puts a hand on her shoulder with a gentle, but firm, “That's enough, Lin.”

Belinda stops mid rant to scowl at him, but then something about the patient look he was giving her calms her down some. She sighs, crosses her arms and stays silent. Finally giving him a chance to speak.

Roman knew he needed to end this here and now, before it went too far. Belinda meant well, but she didn't know Virgil like he did; it wouldn't take much pushing to turn him away from the garden, or worse, the entirety of Roman's realm. Roman glances off towards where he had left Virgil, sitting comfortably under the shade of a tree. Belinda follows his gaze. His boyfriend still seemed perfectly content just scribbling away in his notebook.

The garden was already becoming a safe space for Virgil and Roman would do anything to keep it that way. He would not let Belinda scare him off.

Roman turns back to her and says, “I didn't know if Virgil had any other powers besides his wings until that day. I can't say I'm entirely surprised though, seeing as how Patton, Logan and I all do but...none of that matters anyway.”

Belinda starts to interject but Roman just shakes his head. Standing up and letting his eyes fall back over to Virgil he says, “It doesn't matter because Virgil is-Virgil and I are...”

_'Did you forget that I'm Thomas' anxiety? Did you really think that **Anxiety** would like running around dodging fireballs and dragons?!?'_

“...different. We're very different, Lin. He wouldn't enjoy taking part in our game.”

He would never forgive himself for putting Virgil through that absolute hell of a day, even if their relationship had ended up growing stronger because of it. Part of him foolishly thought that maybe Virgil would like seeing his valiant boyfriend, thrust into the heat of a battle...but of course he wouldn't. This was Anxiety. It didn't matter that Roman had done this countless of times. It didn't matter that sparring with Belinda was child's play compared to some of the other foes he had fought throughout their lives. Anxiety couldn’t help but see the danger in even the smallest of things, it was no wonder he got as upset as he did. Roman should have known better.

Belinda was quiet for a couple of seconds after he had finished, and then, to his dismay, she asks, “But, have you ever actually _asked_ him?”

Roman runs a hand through his hair and huffs, “No. I have not, and I'm fairly sure I never will.”

Belinda didn't see how furious Virgil was after their battle. She didn't understand what it felt like to have the person you loved more than anything look at you with such disappointment and hurt.

Belinda regards him for a few seconds, looks over to Virgil and then says, “Well then, I'll just have to do it for you.”

Then she's hurrying off towards the fruit trees; towards his, for once, relaxed, Virgil.

Roman's eyes widen as he watches her go. For a second, he's so thrown off he can't even think to make his feet move to go after her. Then, as Virgil looks up from his journal and visibly winces, he moves. Calling after her with a hissed, “Belinda!”

He reaches her just as she's plopping down in the grass, close to Virgil; her poofy skirt billowing out around her. Virgil pulls his legs up against his chest and tentatively says, “Uh...hi, again.”

Belinda glances at the notebook Virgil was currently holding close to his chest and asks, “What are you doing?”

Virgil looks up at Roman and a flash of desperation crosses his face, but he still answers Belinda anyway. “Um, I was just writing.” He actually snorts and looks down at his notebook. “ _Trying_ to write, at least.”

“Oh? Write what?” Belinda asks, though her voice is dripping with obvious boredom.

Roman isn't quite sure what to do at this point. On one hand, Virgil looks wildly uncomfortable and he really wanted to save him from that, but on the other...it might be better if Belinda gets an answer from Virgil himself. That should cease things once and for all, because as stubborn as she was, Belinda knew when she was faced with a losing battle.

“Poetry,” Virgil replies.

“Hm, that's nice,” Belinda hums, and then her face lights up as she excitedly asks, “Anyway, would you like to spar with us sometime?”

Virgil actually presses back against the tree, as if trying to get away from her.

“Um...no?!” he says, like the answer couldn't be any more obvious.

Belinda turns around to look at Roman, frowning. He wasn't sure he had ever seen her pout this much before. Shrugging, he says, “I told you.”

That should be the end of it. Belinda should just move on, there was absolutely no reason to keep pushing this, and yet...

“But, didn't you think our battle was at least a little fun? Now that you know you weren't in any real danger?” she asks, sounding almost hopeful.

Virgil looks at her, bewildered. “Are you kidding me? No, it wasn't 'fun'. It was...it was terrifying.” He hugs his knees a little tighter and says, “There's no way in hell I'm going to willing put myself through that shit again.”

The dark tone his voice had taken on left no room for debate. That was finale.

Even so, Belinda tries to push again. “But if you just-”

“Alright, that's enough,” Roman interjects, finally. “Lin, I promise you, next time I'll come alone and we can play as long as you want. No interruptions.”

Belinda looks back and forth between the two Sides, but it was obvious neither one of them was budging. Finally, with a frustrated growl, she gets back on her feet and turns around. Pushing past Roman, she stomps away muttering, “You two are so _boring!_ ”

They watch her go, with Virgil saying when she was out of earshot, “So...should I be concerned? Cause I'm totally concerned.”

Roman still looks ahead, a hint of a frown on his face. “It'll be fine,” he assures Virgil. “She'll cool off, eventually. There's nothing to worry about.”

There really shouldn't be anything to worry about but still, something felt...off.

“Where did she even come from?”

Roman turns back to Virgil who still has his eyes on Belinda. She had picked up her watering can again but she didn't look like she was quite enjoying herself as much as she was before. He looks back at Roman, waiting for his answer but...

“Oh, I just stumbled upon her one day.” He shrugs. “She must have come from a dream.”

Virgil doesn't look convinced and he had every right to be suspicious, as Roman had just flat out lied to him. Again. He took no joy in lying to Virgil, he hated himself a little bit more each time he did, but he also wasn't ready to tell him that story. Not yet.

If he could help it, not ever.

Desperately wanting to lighten the mood, Roman sits himself back down onto the grass and then starts to maneuver Virgil's legs so they where stretched out in front of him. Virgil opens his mouth to, probably, say something snarky but all that comes out is a gasp as Roman then climbs into his lap. He pretends not to notice the way Virgil's breath hitches as he drapes his arms around his shoulders.

Leaning forward close, Roman whispers in a voice way too over the top to actually be considered sexy, “Write a poem about how handsome I am.”

Virgil shoves him back and then snatches up his notebook to, lightly, smack him in the face with it. Roman sticks his tongue out at him in response and then they both collapse into a fit of giggles. All in all an effective distraction from the previously tense mood.

Perhaps he was just over thinking it, there was probably nothing to worry about. He would just have to keep his promise and visit Belinda soon and that would be that.

* * *

It wasn't the end of it.

Two days later, when Thomas was in need of a brainstorm for a session of script writing, Roman heads back into his realm alone, as he had promised. He greets Belinda outside of her front door and soon, after the two of them exchange pleasantries, they're already coming at each other; spells and swords at the ready.

They keep their battle within the openness of the front yard this time around, as it was much easier to clean up afterwords (though, it was more fun when they were surrounded by many breakable things). Roman had summoned his daggers as his weapons of choice while Belinda conjured a fiery whip that she was currently drawing back and striking at him in an intense speed. He was concentrating on dodging it, determined not to rely on a shield this time, when Belinda breaks the silence between them.

“Do you think he might enjoy watching us?” she asks, turning the whip into a fireball with just a snap of her fingers and then flinging it at him suddenly in an attempt to throw him off. Though it doesn't work, and Roman rolls under it with relative ease, then gets back up on his feet.

“Do I think who would want to what?” he asks, not really paying much attention to what she was saying as he moved forward, daggers at the ready.

Belinda rolls her eyes as she ducks under a flurry of swipes from his blades. “Your mate, Virgil,” she says. “Perhaps he could at least sit off to the side and watch us spar. Maybe if he saw that there really wasn't much danger to be afraid of, he would want to join us. ”

Roman, finally processing what she was saying, slows his attacks and then stops altogether. He watches Belinda quickly dance a few feet away from him and then reel back as she begins to ready another spell.

Seeing the darkening look on his face she asks, “What? It was merely a suggestion.”

The spell, a crackling ball of electricity, shoots towards him and Roman steps aside without much thought, avoiding it.

“Why are you so insistent that Virgil join us?” he asks, his patience officially worn thin. “You know he's had no training whatsoever, right? He has no idea how to fight properly.”

Roman would really prefer to not have to think about the more unpleasant parts of their first trip to the garden, but he couldn't help but recall when Virgil attacked Belinda. That was not a well thought out attack. Virgil panicked and somehow unleashed that dark power; it was fairly obvious that he had surprised himself just as much as he did Roman.

“I know. That's what makes him all the more fascinating. What I witnessed that day was pure instinct. A reflex.” Belinda grins at him, her violet eyes glowing bright, as she goes on. “Yet, that attack was still so strong. Could you imagine what he could do with even a little bit of practice?”

Roman's eyes narrow. “Belinda, tell me what this is about.”

He didn't like this. Belinda was far past just being purely stubborn. There was something more going on here that she was keeping from him, something that involved Virgil. He trusted her enough to know that, whatever this was, there was no malicious intent behind it. _Dangerous_ , on the other hand...

Belinda looks down into the palm of her hand where a small, green flame had ignited. She watches it dance for a moment and then says in an even voice, “There are a lot of dangerous creatures in this realm, dear prince. If Virgil is going to be vising here more often...”

She looks up at him and the fire within her palm suddenly sparks into a furious ball of flames; it engulfs her hand.

“...he should learn how to defend himself.” Then, in an instant, she's reeling back and blasting the spell at him in full force.

Roman lets his daggers fade away and then raises a hand out in front of him. As the spell speeds closer he calmly, but quickly, mutters an incantation under his breath. He feels his magic spread throughout him warmly, starting from his heart and ending at his outstretched fingers. Just as Belinda's spell is impossibly close, a golden shield of light materializes in front of him in a flash; one much taller and stronger than the measly thing he summoned during the battle Virgil was forced into.

The fire ball smashes into it and explodes on impact.

As green and gold sparks shower down around him, Roman lowers his hand back down and says, “Virgil doesn't need to learn how to fight, because he has me.” He stands tall as he glares her down, there's not a hint of hesitation in his voice. “I'll _always_ be here to protect him.”

That went for the others too. Thomas, Patton, Logan; his family. Roman was a knight and a knight's purpose was to protect and fight for the ones that they were sworn to. As long as Roman was standing, Virgil would never have to put himself in danger. The sooner Belinda understood that, the better.

Belinda, who doesn't seem at all impressed by his dramatic display, slowly nods. “Ah, of course. I see now...” Then, with a smile that was very fake, she says, “You think he's weak and can't take care of himself, I understand.”

Roman's stern composure breaks with her words, as does his guard. “What? No! That's not-”

Belinda doesn't waste the opportunity as his shield finally fades away and rushes towards him, violet energy crackling between her drawn back claws. Roman realizes what's going on far too late and he can't avoid the punch that she pummels into his abdomen; it sends him flying back a couple of feet and he skids against the hard ground. The electricity from her spell courses through him at the same time and he grits his teeth in pain. She really didn't hold back with that one, he would be feeling it for the next couple of days at least.

He hears her coming at him again and quickly pushes himself up off the ground, ignoring the throbbing pain. He just barely manages to dodge out of the way of her incoming spell. Roman summons his katana and holds it in front of him, bracing himself as she enters his space.

“I never said Virgil was weak!” He yells while blocking a swipe from her sharp claws. “I just don't see the point in forcing him into something he'll hate!”

He takes a swing at Belinda who already has two more spells ready in her hands; one of flames and one of electricity. He finally gets a hit on her (and of course, all of his weapons were enchanted with plenty of protection spells so he would never actually draw blood) and knocks her down, but she scrambles to get right back on her feet almost instantly.

“What will you do if he ever asks you himself?” Belinda asks before actually flipping back a couple of times out of the way of one of his attacks. “Will you tell him no, that you're too afraid he'll hurt himself? That you think he's too precious and fragile?”

Roman grunts in frustration as four more of his attacks miss the agile little witch all in a row. He bites back, “I'm telling you, that isn't what this is about! You didn't see how upset he was that day, Belinda! He was absolutely furious! He trusted me and I threw him into danger-”

“But it wasn't real!” she interrupts, and Roman finally manages to land another hit on her; whacking her against her side hard enough to send her rolling several feet away from him.

 _“It was real to him, damn it!”_ Roman yells, and then throws his sword on the ground in his aggravation.

There's a heavy silence that follows as Belinda gets back to her feet, dusting off her dress as if she simply tripped and hadn't just been flung ten feet across the forest. There wasn't a scratch on her while Roman could already feel himself starting to bruise in a few places.

Belinda crosses her arms and says, “Are you quite finished throwing your tantrum?”

Roman ignores her comment and bends to pick up his sword. Staring down at his reflection in the blade, he says, “ _If_ , Virgil ever wanted to join us, I wouldn't have any objections. I'd teach him how to defend himself to the best of my abilities.”

He really, _really_ , didn't like the thought of going face to face in a physical fight with his boyfriend, but he meant what he said. If that was ever what Virgil wanted, Roman would teach him everything he knows.

Belinda breaks into a smile but Roman lifts his sword and points it at her, brows furrowed. “However, I will not push him into this, Belinda. Do you understand?”

Her smile falls and for a moment, Roman thinks she might still want to argue with him but, thankfully, she gives up.

Sighing, she reaches out and summons her fiery whip again. “It would be quite fun though,” she says with a shrug. “That's all I'm saying,” and with that, she's running at him once again.

Apparently she wasn't going to give him a break this time. They were going straight into round two.

Roman grips his sword and gets ready for her. He wasn't stupid; there was definitely something going on here and sooner or later, he was going to figure it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** _*Spoilers for the new Sanders Sides ahead!*_
> 
> So, I’m just letting you guys know now that Deceit will NOT be making an appearance in this fic. I’ve had the plot for this story all planned out for months and throwing him into it would be a freaking mess. I would have to change waaaaaaay too much and I really don’t want to do that. So imagine him just like, chilling in his evil lair with the other mystery “Dark Sides”; completely oblivious to everything that’s going on in this story.


	8. The Witch's Game (Part 2/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil has an eventful afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Negative thinking, swearing.
> 
> **A/N:** Make yourself a nice cup of tea and get comfortable cause this chapter is SUPER FREAKING LONG. I’m sorry if it’s a little too much, but I felt like there wasn’t a good place to split it up (again, as this is a part 2 lol).
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Up until these past few months, Virgil was under the impression that it was simply impossible for him to feel this happy.

Despite the copious amounts of stress he was dealing with on an almost daily basis, what with keeping them all functioning through Thomas' increasingly more demanding schedule and Logan's constant insistence that he _keep pushing_ all while Patton practically begged him to _slow down_ at the same time-

...yeah, despite all _that_. Virgil was pretty damn happy; for once, the good days were starting to outweigh the bad.

Though the others would tell him that he should give himself more credit for the progress he's made regarding his mental health, Virgil still felt like he owed most of his happiness to Roman and, of course, the forest.

The sheer vastness of the Realm of Dreams still terrified him, but only if he took the time to think about it too hard (and Virgil made an effort to _not_ ever think about it too hard). Somehow, with Roman at his side, and with their hands always clasped securely together...it wasn't so bad. Virgil trusted him enough to know that if (god forbid) they ever strayed too far and got lost, Roman could lead them back home safely.

_There's nothing to worry about_ , was bullshit. It was as if something instilled deep inside of him was set to instantly reject that phrase whenever he heard it. He was Anxiety, there was _always_ something to worry about. Though...Roman had somehow convinced him that there was nothing wrong with settling for a reassuring, _we'll be okay_ , every once in a while.

Because, yeah, bad things could still definitely happen to them but...they'd make it through. Somehow. They've done it before.

_We'll be okay..._

Those three simple words were enough that Virgil felt like he could actually let his guard down a little; take in the beauty of each new flower they came across, stop and feel the sun shine down on his face, focus on the way the wind ruffled through his feathers pleasantly and just _breathe_.

It was weird thinking back to only a few short months ago, when he couldn't help but be on constant alert whenever he joined Roman in his realm. Now, Virgil couldn't deny that he was completely addicted to the way this place made him feel. How _Roman_ made him feel.

Safe, at ease and simply...happy.

Still, the dark, creeping shadows in the back of his mind sometimes liked to sneak up and hiss at him, saying...

_This place isn't safe. You could get hurt or lost, and then what would happen to Thomas? And besides that, you know Roman doesn't really want to put up with you, right? You're being a nuisance, just go back to hiding in your room._

...but those thoughts were damn near impossible to entertain with Roman positively beaming at him each and every time Virgil asked to go back. That smile could overpower his shadows any day.

They still did their fair share of lounging around in the commons, wrapped up in each others arms while they played video games or watched cartoons, but days spent in the forest were extra special. Especially since it was just the two of them-

...well, _usually_ it was just the two of them. Occasionally they had a small, and just a bit too demanding, third wheel.

* * *

Belinda wasn't always home on the days they decided to visit the garden, in fact, she was away fairly often. Virgil always noted the way Roman would hold his breath just before pushing aside the bushes that hid the little cottage from sight, and then breathe out a sigh of relief it they came upon it empty. 

Or hiss out an almost inaudible curse if it wasn't.

True to his word, Roman hadn't left him alone with Belinda again (which Virgil _greatly_ appreciated), but the little witch still forced her presence upon the both of them anyway...in the form of tea parties. Payment, she had said, for allowing them to take over her garden. The two Sides had to admit, it was a pretty fair deal considering they were sort of intruding in her space. Besides, these little 'parties' never lasted more than an half hour and Virgil usually didn't have to contribute to any of the conversations they had, as Roman and Belinda primarily just gossiped about the goings-on of the ream the entire time. All he did was sit back, drink tea and try to suppress his laughter as the conversation inevitably devolves into the two just trying to out sass each other.

Before too long, Roman would reach to take Virgil's hand and then, very gently, tell Belinda that while they both enjoyed her company, they wanted some time to themselves now. Surprisingly she never put up much of a fuss (besides silently pouting) and they were always left alone for rest of their time there.

Honestly, on their third trip to the witch's cottage, Virgil had fully expected to be bombarded with more questions the minute he walked through her door. Interestingly enough, he wasn't. The same went for the trip after that, and the one after that. Several weeks of going back and forth to the garden and still, the little chats between the three of them were completely void of any bizarre, cryptic, magic-shadow-prince, riddles. Virgil would have thought the entire thing was just some weird fever dream he had if it wasn't for the way Belinda would sometimes look at him. 

Sometimes, when Roman would get just a little bit too caught up in himself while telling one of his stories, Belinda's eyes would land on Virgil. He could never quite get a read on her expression, besides maybe a hint of frustration as her brows narrowed ever so slightly, but it was almost as if she was trying to look right through him. Searching for...something.

It really didn't take long for Virgil to put two and two together. The slight pout on Belinda's face and the obvious hesitation in her voice when she gave the two of them permission to retreat into her garden was proof enough that she definitely had more to say to him; something that she didn't particularly want Roman to hear...

Whatever, it wasn't like it mattered. The conversation the two of them had was essentially just a bunch of made up fantasy bullshit (or so Virgil had concluded after thinking about it non-stop for several weeks). It was probably safe to say that whatever else she wanted to spring on him would be just as nonsensical.

_'Hmph. Yes, I think you'll do nicely.'_

...nope. Virgil had definitely put all of that out of his mind. He was absolutely not curious about it in the slightest. Why would he be? It was just some dumb game she was trying to get him to play, after all.

* * *

“No freaking way! She did _not_ actually say that to you!”

“She absolutely did! Can you believe the nerve of some people?!”

“Well, go on! How did you respond? And don't leave out a single detail...”

Virgil furrows his brows as he raises his cup up to his lips, taking a long sip of tea (with plenty of sugar this time). Something, and surprisingly it wasn't the two gossiping diva's sitting next to him, was really starting to get on his nerves. 

For the past twenty minutes, Virgil had been picking up on some strange noises coming from god knows where in the forest. Maybe it was just his paranoia, but every passing minute sounded closer than the last...

Roman had insisted that he let his wings loose for a change, actually threatening to not take him at all if he refused again. Virgil hadn't wanted to bother with the damn things since their first semi-disaster of a visit, but he couldn't keep hiding his winces of pain caused by his stiff muscles and the itch between his shoulder blades was practically maddening. It had been over two months, and all of their garden visits had been significantly more chill than the first time so, Virgil didn't put up much of a fight. 

So now here he was in this stupid form, sitting hunched over on a stool with his cumbersome wings tucked tight against his back and with all of his senses heightened and _seriously, what the hell was that noise?_

It was rhythmic; sometimes it sounded like wood being smacked down on top of stone and then other times it was quieter thuds against, maybe, grass? If the noise was getting louder that had to mean whatever was making it was getting closer and...what if it was a monster? This was the Realm of Dreams, Roman fought monsters and god knows what else here all the time...that had to be it. It was probably a monster and it was coming closer and closer so he should warn Roman but, what if it _wasn't_ a monster. Then he would just look like an idiot and-

Virgil flinches as he's pulled out of his thoughts when Roman gently places his hand over his arm. He shakes his head, finally noticing that he had been gripping his tea cup and staring blankly down into it like a weirdo the entire time.

“Verge? Are you alright?” Roman asks.

Virgil sets down his cup (as his hands were shaking slightly) and starts to shrug him off, saying, “Yeah, I'm...” 

He sighs, deciding it really didn't hurt to come clean. Besides, Roman could always tell when he was lying. 

“It's just, you probably don't even hear it, but I'm picking up on someone messing around outside and it's starting to piss me off.”

Roman frowns. “No...I didn't hear anything. What does it sound like?”

“It's-”

“Hooves, right?”

They both look over to Belinda who was currently munching on one of the small cookies she had set out for them. She pops the rest of it into her mouth, then wipes her claws on her skirt, not paying much attention to either of them now.

Yeah...now that she mentions it, it totally was the galloping of hooves he was hearing. How the hell did he interpret that as a monster? Was he seriously that much of an anxious mess that he was having a mini anxiety attack over a freaking horse?!

Roman looks between them both and then huffs out, “Okay, it's not fair that you two get freaking superhero powers and I don't. This is my realm! I deserve cool powers too!” 

Before Virgil can remind Roman that he could create things out of nothing and cast freaking magic spells so he really had no right to complain, a shrill whinny sounds off in the distance, instantly making his feathers stand on end. It's loud enough that even Roman, who suddenly turns to look out the window, can hear it.

Through a mouthful of lemon cookie, Belinda says, “I believe you have a visitor approaching, Prince Roman.” 

Roman's brows knit into a frown as the galloping gets closer to the cottage and Virgil finds himself reaching over to place his hand on Roman's knee. Was something wrong after all? Sure Virgil had traveled with Roman back and forth down the same path several times now, but the Realm of Dreams was impossibly vast. Maybe it was only luck that had stopped them from getting into trouble before. Maybe he should have listened to his shadows after all...

Roman finally tears his eyes away from the window to look over at Virgil. He manages to smile a little, but Virgil could still make out the unease on his face, clear as day. 

Roman pats the hand on his knee and gently says, “It's alright, V. You can breathe.”

Virgil frowns as Roman stands up and walks to the door; the clopping getting louder as whoever the mystery rider was got closer. 

“Princey...”

Roman glances over his shoulder and says, “Did I not promise you that we would be perfectly safe here?” 

He smirks as Virgil rolls his eyes at him. Narrowly avoiding fireballs wasn't remotely safe, whether they were thrown by a friend of not. 

“I'll only be a moment,” Roman says, turning back to the door and placing his hand on the knob. “You two be good while I'm gone.”

With that, Roman slips out of the house, pulling the door shut behind him.

Virgil and Belinda watch him leave and then slowly turn to one another; the atmosphere was immediately awkward. For a second Virgil actually thought she might jump right in where she left off during their last one-on-one. Maybe part of him (a very small part of him because, seriously, he really didn't care) was hoping she did.

Instead, Belinda grabs another cookie and says, “Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, Camilla had just insulted my brand new dress. You know, I made that dress all from scratch and-hey!”

Virgil had stood up and moved towards the window, tuning out Belinda's growls of outrage behind him. Yeah, he was not sitting through that crap when Roman was right outside with some mystery rider.

He tries to be as inconspicuous as possible as he peeks out from behind the heavy drapes. He sees Roman, standing with his arms crossed a few feet away from the door; the same concerned frown from before back on his face. Virgil lets his eyes wander ahead of him, towards the hidden path between the trees. The whinnies pick up, as does the rapid thudding against the soft dirt until, rushing out from the bushes was-

Really? This was it? This was the “monster” Virgil was working himself up over?

Roman visibly sighs as a short and stout man, riding an equally short and stout chestnut colored pony, rushes into the clearing. The pony was obviously moving just a little too fast for the man's comfort, as he was gripping onto the reins like his life depended on it. For a moment, it looked as if the small horse wasn't going to stop at all and run straight into Roman but, seemingly without the help of it's rider, it starts to slow into a brisk trot; stopping entirely only a few feet away from the prince.

Through panted breaths, Virgil can hear the small man call out, “M-my lord! So sorry t-to disturb you b-but-”

“It's alright, Louie,” Roman assures him, though it was fairly obvious from his tone that he was somewhat annoyed. “Take your time.”

The rider, who had been leaning over his horse as he tried to catch his breath, straightens up to give Roman a curt nod. He glances over at the ground on his right side, then his left and then back and forth again, biting down on his lip nervously. His short legs barely reached the bottom of the saddles' stirrups, so getting down seemed to be somewhat of a challenge.

As the rider (who was apparently named, Louie) busied himself with climbing off of the horse, Virgil draws his attention back over to Roman who-

He lets out a small gasp as his eyes meet Roman's; he was staring right at him. Watching Virgil through the small, and apparently not-so-inconspicuous, gap between the drapes.

As Roman winks at him (and Virgil feels his face heat up) he lets the drapes fall close and sighs. Outside, he can hear Louie struggle to get off his saddle as Roman quietly asks, “Do you need any assistance?” Only for the man to call out, unconvincingly, “No! No, I'm fine! Really!”

Even after having met Belinda, it was still really weird to think that other beings lived in the Realm of Dreams. Every single dream Thomas had, every single creature of Roman's own imagination, they all resided here. Still, Virgil was hoping that he wouldn't ever have to meet anyone (or anything) else. Belinda's eccentrics were bad enough, now he had some pompous looking dude (who, in his regal attire, looked like he had just escaped off of the set of a Disney movie) waiting right outside the door. 

Virgil glances up at Belinda; he had almost completely forgotten about her while he was focusing on whatever the hell was happening outside. The little witch was watching him in silence (well, aside from her quiet munching on what was probably her tenth cookie). As their eyes meet, she gestures towards the door.

...yeah. Seeing as how Roman didn't appear to really mind that he was being spied on, it was probably a clear sigh that he was supposed to join him outside. 

_Great._

Suddenly, a whinny that sounded thoroughly offended rings out from outside Belinda's door, immediately followed by a loud thud and a groan. Apparently, Louie had finally made it down.

Virgil takes a short moment to compose himself as he couldn't help but snicker, and then he walks over to the door to look through the peephole.

Louie scrambles to his feet, waving off Roman's offered hand, and then begins to dust off his rear end. 

“Blasted horse...” he mumbles as he shoots a glare at the pony.

The pony snorts and flicks it's tail, apparently just as annoyed.

“Now then. _Ahem._ ” Louie stands himself at attention and then gives Roman a gracious bow, asking as his nose practically touched the ground, “How fair you, Prince Roman?”

Roman shakes his head but smiles. “I'm fine, Louie, and yourself?”

Virgil's hand hovers over the doorknob as he listens to their pleasantries; he rolls his eyes. God, as much as he loved Roman the whole fantasy theme his realm took on could be...a lot. It was honestly debatable who was the bigger dork out of the other three Sides.

“Quite well, my lord!” Louie replies, and then before Roman can get another word in, he says, “But I didn't stop by for a nice chat, I'm afraid. You see, I have something of great importance to tell you.”

Virgil finally turns the knob and cracks open the door, peeking out at Roman and his visitor. Louie's expression was much more solemn than what it should be for his excited tone. He doesn't seem to notice Virgil's presence but Roman's head turns ever so slightly to glance behind him.

“It began only a few hours before...” Louie shifts his eyes back and forth, as if he was making sure they were alone. He hunches down and continues in a half whisper, his once excited voice now sounding dark and ominous. 

“All was well in the quiet, little village, when a-”

“Look, I don't mean to be rude, Louie, but could you hurry this up?”

Before the smaller man had the chance to look too disappointed, Roman goes on to say, “You know how much I adore your storytelling but...”

Finally, Virgil finds the nerve to open the front door and walk out onto the porch; he doesn't bother shutting it behind him, feeling more comfortable knowing he could duck back inside in a matter of seconds. 

Virgil stands a couple of feet behind Roman who suddenly turns to him and beams. Without looking at Louie he says, “As you can see...I rather not be away for longer than I need to.”

Virgil blushes and looks down at the porch, mumbling, “Sorry, I just thought-”

“You're fine, love.”

Roman looks back to Louie who was currently staring at Virgil with a...conflicted expression. One that neither of the Sides miss. 

“Oh! Of course! I...I understand completely,” he says, though he doesn't sound entirely convincing. “It's-it's just, well, um...that is to say...” and as he trails off, Louie's eyes wander until he's looking at-

Oh. Virgil's wings. 

_Son of a bitch_ , he forgot about his own wings.

Without thinking, Virgil tucks his wings back as tight as he could possibly stand, though it obviously didn't make much of a difference. _Damn it_ , he should have never let them out today, hell, he should have never even come to the realm today. He should have stayed home and let Roman have fun going on quests or whatever this was apparently about.

Roman, seeing Virgil's obvious discomfort, frowns. “Is...everything alright, Louie?” he asks as he looks back to the older man standing in front of him.

“Yes! No problem at all! It's just that well...forgive me, my lord, but perhaps we should speak...” 

He gestures over to Virgil who takes a step back towards the door. 

“...privately.”

A sickening heat spreads throughout Virgil's body, settling in his gut and instantly making him feel sick. That's right, how could he have been so stupid? How could he have possibly forgotten that he doesn't belong in this realm? He must have been blinded by his own happiness, right? That had to be it. For just a few weeks, he forgot how much of a freak he actually was.

He could practically hear that incessant little voice chucking at him, _I told you so..._

Roman turns to face him again and Virgil instinctively takes another step back. He should go. _Fuck_ , he should just go. He was so stupid, _stupid, **stupid**_. He should use his freakish wings to fly the hell out of-

Roman suddenly reaches out and grabs his hand and Virgil can't help but wince at the contact. Ignoring Louie entirely, he walks forward into Virgil's space, places his free hand on his cheek and firmly says, “Breathe.”

And, surprisingly, Virgil does.

_In for four seconds...I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay...hold for seven...I'm okay, I'm okay, **We're okay**...out for eight..._

He hadn't realized he had closed his eyes at some point but when he opens them again, meeting Roman's own, chocolate brown and oh-so-warm, he nods.

Roman sighs out in relief and then turns his attention back to the now very confused looking Louie. 

“There's no reason for secrecy, Louie,” Roman says in and even, but firm, tone. 

_Normal_ people didn't have random freak outs over nothing, so of course Louie wouldn’t understand that he upset Virgil. Roman wasn't cruel, he wouldn't snap at him for something he ~~(probably)~~ didn't mean to do.

“Oh...but, Prince Roman, I really think you should-”

“Whatever you have to tell me you can say in front of Virgil. He's just as important of a part of Thomas as I am,” and as Virgil's eyes widen at his words, Roman turns to him and smiles.

“Oh...bother. Well, if you insist...” 

Louie steels himself, takes a deep breath and then says, “There's been another sighting of the shadow creatures, my lord.”

Instantly, Roman's smile falls and Virgil can practically see the color drain from his face. He slowly turns back to Louie and stares at him, his grip on Virgil's hand tightening.

“Where?” he deadpans.

With tensions suddenly running as high as they were, the three men don't seem to notice the little witch leaning against the door frame; listening with an intense interest.

“Just outside of Sunpeak Village. Their guards were patrolling when-”

Roman lets Virgil's hand fall to hold his own out in front of him. “That's all I need to know for now, you can tell me the rest on the way.”

Virgil can feel his anxiety welling up inside of him all over again. Everything was happening so fast and...what was it that was even happening anyway? He knew part of Roman's job was to keep some of the more active creatures of Thomas' fantasies in line but...

...wait. _Shadow_ creatures? 

Virgil thinks about the way Louie was eyeing him so warily. Like he was...as if Virgil was a...

_Freak._

_Outsider._

_Villain._

_**Monster.** _

His wings feel awfully heavy all of a sudden.

Virgil barely manages to hiss out through gritted teeth, “Princey, what the hell is going on?” 

Roman, who had walked down the two small steps leading out into the open forest, freezes and then spins around to face Virgil. “Oh, uh...it's nothing!” he says through a feigned smile. “Really, it's-”

“ _Don't._ ”

Roman actually flinches as Virgil stomps down the stairs towards him. “Don't you dare try to lie to me, Princey. I thought we were past that shit.”

He winces as if Virgil's words physically sting him. “Verge, I just don't want you to-”

“You said so yourself. You think I'm just as important to Thomas as you are, right? So tell me-”

“I don't _think_ you are, Virgil! I _know_ you are!”

There's a silence that hangs in the air around them for a moment, Roman looking just as taken aback by his own outburst as Virgil was. Then, as the harsh glare that had been set on Virgil's face softens, Roman takes a hesitating step towards him. 

“You do know that,” Roman asks, his previous urgency to leave slowly being replaced by concern. “...don't you?” 

_He doesn't actually believe that. After all, this whole thing is your fault. It has to be. It's always your fault._

Virgil forces himself to ignore both Roman and his own dark thoughts and then points over to Louie; the smaller man looking back and forth between the two Sides in obvious distress.

“Tell me, Roman. What the hell is he talking about?”

He should have stayed home. He really should have just stayed in bed all day...but he didn't. Virgil was here now and despite the whispering chants in his head of, _run, run, run, go back, go home, not safe here, not wanted here, go HOME_ , he wasn't going to give in and just walk away. Not when Roman, when Thomas, could potentially be in danger. There was no way he could turn his back on that.

Thomas was his priority. He would have time to breakdown later. 

Besides, he needed answers. He never did tell Roman about what Belinda had discussed with him that day. About supposedly being the _Prince of Shadows_ (whatever the _FUCK_ that meant). He needed to know if whatever this threat was...if it had anything to do with him.

Roman bites down on his lip and glances towards the door. He's greeted with a small Dragon Witch, raising her eyebrows at him; just as curious about his answer as Virgil was.

With a sigh, he looks back to Virgil and says,“Look, you and I both know that Thomas is, well...he's got a lot on his plate right now.”

No shit. Their workload hadn't gotten any lighter in the past few weeks, despite Patton's protests. It was wearing them all down but...Thomas was pretty damn proud of what they were accomplishing and that pride was only fueling him on more. He was completely exhausted, but proud.

Virgil crosses his arms. “What are you getting at, Princey?”

Roman runs a hand through his hair, and says, “I just...Virgil, please. I don't want you to have to worry about anything more and-”

“Just fucking tell me!” Virgil snaps, his outburst causing both Louie and Roman to flinch.

Belinda only smirked.

Roman hesitates...but then he sees the fierce glare on his boyfriends face and he sighs. Finally, he says, “...Thomas has been having nightmares. Specifically, stress induced nightmares.”

Virgil lets his arms fall to his sides. Nightmares. He should have fucking known. God, he was such an _idiot_. He had definitely noticed that Thomas had been somewhat tenser than usual right after he woke up these past couple of weeks, but Virgil hadn't thought much of it. He was always thinking ahead; thinking about all the shit they needed to get done before the end of the day, the consequences of not completing it all and a hundred other little things. He just assumed that was all it was; his own anxiety bleeding into Thomas, as usual. He never really considered that he was having _nightmares_.

Going on, Roman says, “The 'creatures' Louie is referring to are just remnants of those dreams, Virgil. Negative thoughts and feelings left behind that I need to...take care of.”

Dreams fell solely onto Roman, which meant while the others might feel the lingering effects of a dream or nightmare...they wouldn't know if Thomas actually had one unless the creative Side told them, so...

“Roman, why didn't you-”

“Because I know you,” Roman interrupts. “I knew you would try to take the full blame and, as much as I hate to admit it, _all of us_ are contributing to Thomas' stress in one way or another. Besides...”

His eyes shift towards Belinda for just a split second, fast enough that Virgil doesn't even notice.

“...good or bad, dreams are my department, Virgil. This doesn't need to fall on you.”

Virgil tells himself that constantly pushing and pulling at Thomas' fears in order to make him move faster was entirely on him. Staying up well into the night to check and double check ever last detail of a project and then only getting a couple of hours of sleep was, in fact, entirely on him. Doubting practically every move they made whether it was for work or with friends or literally anything was, again, _entirely on Anxiety_.

He may not have direct control over a nightmare but Virgil had no doubt that he was at least the main Side contributing to them, if not the only one. If that was the case, maybe he was right in thinking that...

Virgil sighs and wraps his arms around himself, mumbling, “I just...I thought that maybe I was staring to rub off on this place.”

Roman frowns slightly as he walks towards him. He gently pries Virgil's hands off his shoulders and then intertwines their fingers. 

“What do you mean?” he asks.

Behind them, Louie very loudly clears his throat and then opens his mouth as he starts to say something, but whatever it was is instantly swallowed back down by the glare Roman shoots him.

Virgil shakes his head and tries to let go of Roman's hands, saying, “Sorry. Forget I said anything. I know you have to go, um,” he tilts his head over to Louie. “Do your thing. Worry about Thomas, not me.”

Roman squeezes their hands tighter, refusing to let go. He says, “If it was that urgent, Louie would have just skipped the storytelling and had told me straight away. I do need to take care of this soon but, I have a little time. So tell me what you mean.”

Louie, looking utterly offended, gives an agitated huff and then marches back over to his pony. While he's turned around, starting the apparently just as tedious process of getting back on the horse, Belinda sticks her tongue out at him.

Virgil looks down, focusing on their clasped hands. Why did he have to say anything? Roman didn't need more to worry about on top of everything else...

“Verge?” Roman asks quietly.

He looks back up at Roman who had a concerned frown on his face.

Maybe, Virgil tries to tell himself, it wasn't really a bad thing to worry about each other so much. It showed they cared.

“I've been spending a lot of time in your realm, Ro,” He says, eyes instinctively looking down again. “I thought, since I'm a part of Thomas' negative feelings, that maybe I was...corrupting this place.”

He feels Roman's hands grip his own tighter, but he stays silent. Virgil's heart starts to pick up speed and he closes his eyes, concentrating on keeping his breathing steady. Roman already told him what the real problem was so there was no reason to-

“I think you're right, at least partially. I think your presence has done something to my realm.”

Virgil actually winces as Roman's words hit him. His hands slip out of Virgil's and _no, no, no_ , this wasn't...but he thought...

Before Virgil can really work himself up, Roman cups his chin in one hand and gently tilts his face up to meet him. To Virgil's surprise, Roman's beaming.

“I mean, I think it's fairly obvious,” Roman tells him, grinning like an absolute fool. “My world is so much brighter now with you in it, sunshine.”

Virgil gasps, feeling his entire face heat up, then he's grinning too; a rare smile that actually spreads across his face. As Belinda makes a gagging sound behind them, he hides his face in his sweater paws and starts to snort. 

Though he currently can't see, Roman was flushed just as bright.

“I hate you so much,” Virgil says through his laughter. “You seriously freaked me out, asshole!”

Roman just smiles and kisses the top of his head. “Shut up, you know you love me.”

“ _Ahem!_ Excuse me, Prince Roman? We really must be going...”

Virgil takes a deep breath, composing himself. Small amount as it was, he really hated any kind of PDA, especially around strangers, and the anxiety from being embarrassed was hitting him pretty damn hard on top of everything else.

Quickly, he shoves his hands in his pockets and tries to put on his best, totally unbothered, face. “You should go,” he says. “Thomas is gonna start to feel it if you take too long, right?”

Roman nods. “Right.”

He looks over to Louie who was red in the face himself, though that might have been from the exertion of climbing back up on the horse. 

“I'm not sure how long this will take, so I'm going to have Louie escort you back home,” Roman says, frowning. “I know it's not...ideal, but I would rather-”

“I should think not!”

The two Sides turn around to see Belinda, arms crossed with a scowl set on her face.

With a deep, exasperated sigh, Roman starts, “Lin, I really don't have the time to-”

“I can accompany him back myself! You know as well as I do that no creature would dare strike at _The Great Dragon Witch of the Woods_. He would be perfectly safe with me!”

The little witch hurries over to Virgil and grabs his arm, clinging to it as she glares up at Roman. Virgil completely stiffens at her touch; _all_ of his senses were heightened in his winged form, which meant Belinda's touch was horribly more unpleasant than it normally would have been. Belinda doesn't seem to notice his discomfort. Roman, however, does and as he opens his mouth to presumably tell her off, Virgil interrupts him. 

“I mean...that's actually fine with me,” he says, earning a squeal of delight from Belinda.

He did mean it. As much as Belinda weirded him out, she at least wasn't a complete stranger. Worse, a complete stranger who obviously had a problem with him; whether it was from fear or just some kind of shitty prejudiced based on the form Virgil was in. 

Plus, he would be lying if he said the gleam of mischief that danced behind her eyes didn't make him at least a _little_ curious. 

Glancing over at Louie, who was impatiently drumming his finger over his crossed arms, Roman asks, “...are you sure you'll be alright, Verge?”

“It's not a big deal,” Virgil shrugs. It wasn't like he had much of a choice. Thomas was their number one priority, he would trade a lot more than just a half hour of an awkward walk to keep him safe. 

He waves his free hand out towards the forest and says, “Go play hero, hero.”

Roman gives him a hard look, brows furrowed as he debated with himself for another moment. Then, with a sigh, he nods. “Alright. Just...call me if you need anything. I'll come as fast as I can.”

“Got it.”

With one more hesitating glance at Belinda, Roman finally walks into the yard. It didn't occur to Virgil until then, that there was no obvious method of transportation for Roman to get to...wherever the hell it was those creatures were at. Before he has the chance to ask, Roman places two fingers into his mouth and blows, wordlessly giving him an answer.

The whistle that sounds from him rings much louder than what would be considered normal, and echoes throughout the forest. Almost instantly, a gust of wind from an unknown source comes rushing around the clearing; shaking the leaves on all the bushes and trees and whipping everyone's hair all over the place. Seemingly carrying on the wind, answering Roman's call, was a piercing, musical neigh.

The wind gathers into the middle of the clearing, twisting around and around in a whirlwind as sparks of gold and red suddenly begin to appear within it. Then, forming out of the the swirls of colored magic is a pure white steed, carrying a red and gold saddle on it's back with Roman's emblem on the sides.

Honestly, at this point? Virgil wasn't even surprised.

As the magic disperses, the horse rises up on it's back legs and neighs loudly and then landing back down, it bows it's head low for Roman who walks forward to pat it on its side. He looks back towards Virgil and gives him a cocky grin.

“Wooow, dude,” Virgil says, a touch of sarcasm to his voice that Roman apparently misses.

“I know. Awesome, right?”

Virgil smirks. “I just...you'd think I would be used to how extra you were by now, but you never cease to amaze me, Princey.”

Roman gives him an offended gasp as he climbs up onto the horse in one quick motion (as Louie watches him with a envious frown).

“You're just jealous that you don't have a cool magic horse,” Roman says, leaning down to pat the steed's side. “Isn't that right, Samson?”

“You named him _Samson?!_ ”

“My lord, please!” Louie calls out, looking quite done with the both of them.

Roman aims a nod at Louie and then turns to Virgil. “I'll be back before you know it,” he says with a smile. 

The feeling of Belinda clinging to his arm, mixed with his still lingering anxiety from before, was really starting to get him. Part of him was debating on just flying home, as he could get there in a matter of minutes, but the thought of being so high up in the air and the reminder that last time he needed Roman to direct him where to go, scared him more than a little girl with a lack of boundaries.

“Be safe,” Virgil says, and Roman gives him a reassuring smile.

Roman steers his horse around, heading towards the path and Louie is quick to follow him, kicking at his pony to move it into a trot; obviously wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.

Belinda looks up at Virgil and says, “Give me one moment, and the we'll be off.”

As she ( _finally_ ) lets go of Virgil and skips back towards the door, Roman pauses. He looks over his shoulder and calls out, “Belinda?”

The little witch spins back around and replies, in a voice dripping with trouble, “Yes, Prince Roman?”

Roman narrows his eyes at her and in a stern voice says, “Behave.”

Belinda doesn't says a word, only gives him a smile that Virgil knows full well meant she intended to do no such thing.

* * *

The reason Belinda needed to go back inside, apparently, was so she could pack a small baggie of cookies for them (though, throughout the entire trip, she would only offer Virgil one, and when he would politely refuse, she wouldn't bother to ask again). Though when she had come back outside, besides the cookies, she had brought along Toulouse; the little orange cat trotting happily at her side.

“Well, shall we?”

Usually, it took around an hour to get to and from Belinda's cottage to the realm gate, but Virgil wasn't really in the mood to stop and smell the flowers. He wanted to get home as soon as he could, so after about ten minutes of trying to wait up for Toulouse and his little legs, Virgil had scooped up the cat and set him on his shoulders so he could pick up the pace. Toulouse didn't seem to mind and Belinda just floated alongside him lazily anyway, meeting his speed with seemingly no effort.

After another three minutes of silence, Belinda finally breaks it to ask, “Sooo...how long have you had scary nightmare powers?”

Virgil bites down on his tongue to stop himself from laughing despite of himself. Roman hadn't been gone for more than fifteen minutes and she was already at it. 

“Wow, you didn't waste any time, huh?”

Belinda stays quiet, but she watches him closely, curiosity flashing in her bright eyes.

Honestly, as much as he was curious himself, this wasn't a subject Virgil particularly wanted to talk about, considering the events of that first ruined outing. But...who knows when he would get another chance to be alone with Belinda?

“I know this probably isn't what you want to hear but...I'm not really sure,” he says as he reaches up to swat at Toulouse, who was currently gnawing on one of his feathers. “I mean if I had to guess, probably just as long as I've had these wings.”

“How long have you-”

“Always. They were there the moment I came into existence.”

He can't help but recall the first couple of weeks after he had formed back when Thomas was still in middle school. Sitting curled up in a ball with his head in his hands, all alone in his room. His wings wrapped around him tight as he tried to ignore the occasional knocks at his door; trying to drown out the whispered voices of confusion that came from the other side.

_Who do you think it is?_

_I'm not entirely positive but I believe they might be the source of Thomas' recent...distress._

_Look how creepy their door looks, I bet they're a villain! I'm sure of it!_

He cringes and shakes his head, trying to push those old feeling away. It was a long time ago, things were different now.

Next to him, Belinda hums and place a finger on her chin. She asks, “The other prince's have powers too, yes?” 

Virgil frowns slightly but nods.

Belinda, in whatever weird way, was a part of Thomas so it made sense that she would know so much. Not to mention how she apparently went way back with Roman. Virgil knows there was really no reason to be so bothered by it, but someone who was practically a stranger knowing so much about the four of them made him feel uneasy. 

Then again, most things did, and he wasn't particularly in a good headspace today as it was.

“And you never thought that perhaps you might have some yourself?” Belinda asks, drawing her knees up to her chest while she still floated in the air. “You never thought to try?”

Virgil huffs as he says, “Why would I? I'm all of Thomas' negativity, remember? Any kind of powers I'd have would be...”

He sighs, reaching up again to now unhook Toulouse's claw from his sweater. “...they'd have to be pretty bad.”

And he had been right, hadn't he? Flying was one thing, but those twisting shadows that had come from him...what good could he possibly do with that? Something so dark and terrifying.

Belinda goes quiet again, crossing her legs as she seemingly sat in mid air while resting her chin in her hands as she looked ahead; lost in thought. Good, maybe that was the end of it. Virgil was starting to realize that maybe he didn't want to know more about this shit after all. Nothing good would come of it.

They walk past a stream, one that he and Roman would frequently stop by on their walks to just sit along the bank and chill out for a while. It was about five feet in width and barely half a foot deep, but it twisted and turned much farther back into the woods. Roman had once asked him if he had maybe wanted to explore deeper in, but Virgil had turned him down. He may be getting more comfortable out here but...he had his limits. Though, he hoped (and Virgil didn't have the nerve to tell Roman this) that someday he would feel brave enough to take him up on that. 

Virgil was so focused on the calm stream, the clear water sparkling as beams of sunlight peeked through the trees here and there, that he hadn't noticed when Belinda stopped. It was only when she suddenly shouted out his name, making him (and poor Toulouse) jump and bristle, that he spun back around.

“Dude,” he says as he clutches at his chest, feeling his heart pound against it. “I know you still don't know me super well but, I'm _Anxiety_ , okay? You can't just yell at me out of nowhere!”

Belinda lands on the ground and hurries over to him. Completely ignoring his complaint, she says, “I have an idea.”

Virgil runs both hands over his face and groans. He just wanted to go home! Was that really too much to ask?!

Belinda holds her hands out in front of her expectantly, palm sides up. 

“Give me your hands,” she commands him. Then, as an after thought (and seeing Virgil glare at her) adds, “Please.”

Virgil stares down at her hands, honestly wondering if flying back wasn't such a bad idea after all, but after a moment he says, “...under one condition.”

Belinda rolls her eyes and sighs loudly but humors him anyway. “And what would that be?”

Virgil takes a deep breath and then stretches his hands out, letting them hover over her small claws. 

“After whatever this is...you don't say another word and we go straight back to the door.”

“Deal,” she declares with a grin, and then clasps their hands together. 

Virgil reflexively winces and has to stop himself from just yanking his hands back away from her. Part of him was expecting something horrible to happen, like maybe he would just burst into flames on the spot. He doesn't, but Virgil still stays completely tense in her grasp, bracing himself just in case.

Belinda doesn't seem to notice his discomfort, that or she was choosing to ignore it. With her height, she reaches just above his waist so when she looks up at him, she stands on her tiptoes.

“Now,” she says, voice strangely soft and almost calming. “I want you to think back to the day we met; the day you attacked me.” 

Virgil swallows thickly and lets his eyes wander away from her gaze. After all this time, he still felt incredibly guilty about that. Yeah, Belinda had come out mostly unharmed, but that didn't take away the fact that he _hurt_ someone. As much as he hated it, Virgil was used to hurting people with his words; it was a necessary evil that came with his job, but...what he did that day was so much worse. 

She goes on to ask, “When you saw me there, standing above your mate with my magic at the ready...what was going through your head?”

Virgil practically growls in frustration, spitting out, “Why?! Belinda what's the point of all this?”

“Just answer me!” She cries, he claws actually digging into his skin hard enough to sting. “We had a deal! You have to-”

“A lot, okay?! A whole fucking lot was going through my head that day!” He shakes his head, looking down at the forest floor. “What do you want from me?”

That day was such a hectic whirlwind that just thinking about it made his head start to pound and heart begin to ache. He didn't want to remember that pain. The panic he felt truly thinking that they were trapped and going to die. Then everything that happened right after, when he said all those hurtful things to Roman. When he thought Roman was going to leave him...

He was scared. Twice in one day, Virgil thought he was going to lose Roman and it scared the hell out of him.

Belinda sighs and her grip on his hands loosens. “Please, Virgil. I know this isn't easy for you but...I need you to trust me.”

“I...I can't-”

“ _Please_ , little prince. You have to try.”

She gently moves them so the back of his hands were sitting on her palms and goes on to say, “That single moment when you stood before me in this form. I want you to close your eyes and replay that memory, down to the very last detail.”

Maybe it was just out of desperation to get home faster but Virgil finally gives in. He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath and remembers.

_Seeing Roman fall back and hearing his cries of pain as he gripped his damaged arm._

_Feeling the wicked surge of energy that had crackled through the air from the Dragon Witch's magic._

_The adrenaline that suddenly shot through his veins as he darted out from under the table, not caring about the consequences of coming out of hiding._

_Seeing a stranger standing in front of his prince, a stranger who he was sure intended on hurting him._

_Through his panic, as he let his wings move on their own, feeling something dark and powerful well up inside of him that was practically demanding to be released, the one thing that had pounded in his mind like an alarm on repeat was-_

**Protect.**

Virgil suddenly gasps as his eyes open and he feels _it_ , just as Belinda's claws wrap around his wrists tight to keep him there.

“Yes!” she exclaims, grinning toothily from ear to ear. “I knew you could do it!”

There, in the palms of Virgil's hands, was a swirling ball of wispy black shadows. It flickers like a flame with streaks of bright violet energy. 

Virgil's heart instantly starts to rapidly thud against his chest; if Belinda wasn't holding him still he would be shaking. This was the same power that had slammed her into a wall. This hurt her and here she was standing this close to it. It could, no, _he_ could...

Belinda looks up at him, the violet magic reflecting in her bright eyes, but her smiles falls as she takes in his obvious distress. 

“Oh, Virgil,” she says softly. “You really don't understand, do you?”

He watches this...thing, snake little wisps of shadow around his fingers; they were cool to the touch. He really wanted it to go away but Belinda was still holding him firmly in her grasp. Somehow, he just knows that she would be strong enough to keep him there if he tried to pull away.

“There is nothing 'bad' about your powers, little prince,” she tells him. “How could they possibly be bad...when they came from someone so good?”

Virgil tears his eyes away from the shadows and meets Belinda's. She gives him a small smile. 

“But...I hurt you with this?” He says in genuine confusion.

Belinda carefully lets go of his wrists and then takes a couple of steps away from him. Virgil barely notices when Toulouse hops off of his shoulder to scurry over to her side; the tiny cat sits down between her boots and watches him with interest. 

“Only because you thought I would hurt Roman,” she says. “No, Virgil, you _protected_ with that.”

Virgil's gaze falls back down to the magic in his hands. He stares into the twisting blackness, almost mesmerized by his own creation. He...made this somehow. Virgil couldn't begin to comprehend how he could have possibly done this, draw this strange, dark thing out of himself...

Was he even controlling it? Now that he had it here...maybe it wouldn't hurt to find out.

Closing his eyes, Virgil tries to concentrate on the power sitting idly between his hands. As he focuses on steadying his breathing (though his hands still shook slightly without Belinda's grip) he feels something resonate. 

It's incredibly faint but he could feel (and almost see?) something deep inside of him; something cold but...not entirely unpleasant. It was dark, pitch black, and almost erratically shifting and pulling and grabbing and-

Virgil quickly shakes his head, pulling himself out of it, and opens his eyes. Whatever it was, it was strong and he didn't think he could fully get a handle on it; not now, anyway. Instead, he settles his attention back on the small thing already in his hands. Now that he was at least a little calmer and he could bare to really get a good look at it, Virgil figured he couldn’t do much damage with it anyway. Not that he wanted to...but maybe instead he could at least...

Slowly, Virgil starts to move his hands apart. Instead of falling to the ground or disappearing entirely, the ball of shadows stay attached to his left hand. The magic swirls around his fingers and Virgil couldn't help but giggle as the light sensation practically tickled him. He moves his hand in front of his face and watches as wisps of violet and black trial behind, dissolving into nothing.

Hell, Virgil had to admit, this was actually pretty cool now that he-

He catches his reflection in the clear water of the stream.

Virgil sees his eyes, empty as they glowed a brilliant, bright violet. He sees his hands, covered in those twisted shadows. He sees his feathers, jet black, ruffling in the wind.

...what if the others saw him like this? What if _Roman_ caught him like this? They probably wouldn't think any of this was 'cool'. No, they'd see him as he truly was, right? 

A freak. At this point, practically a monster. 

Virgil squeezes his eyes shut and turns away from the water. As he clenches his fist, he feels those shadows disappear between the cracks of his fingers. 

“I...I think I'm done,” he whispers.

Belinda shakes her head and sighs.

* * *

Belinda keeps her end of the deal and they spend the rest of the trip back to the gate in silence. As soon as the door was in sight, Virgil closes his eyes and wills his wings away. He ignores the look of disappointment on Belinda's face, just like he ignores the dull ache between his shoulders once again.

Belinda regards him for a moment and then says, “You know, your dear prince will probably be back soon. You don't have to leave.” 

She doesn't give Virgil the chance to respond as her face lights up and she claps her hands together. “We could try again! You were doing so well before-”

“Look, I appreciate you walking me back,” he interrupts. “But I think I'm done with...” 

He looks down into the palm of his hand where not trace of those shadows remained. “...'scary nightmare powers'. Or whatever.”

Virgil wasn't sure just what Belinda was trying to accomplish with pushing him to explore this side of himself, whether it was for his benefit or her own, but she really was kind to him. She didn't have to walk him back here.

Belinda sighs and reaches up to pry Toulouse off her neck, bringing him down to hold in her arms instead. “I suppose I understand,” she says. “...and you're welcome, for bringing you back home.” 

“Cool. I guess I'll be-

“Although, I must say...”

Belinda stands up on her tiptoes and begins to float in the air once again, though this time, a swirl of green smoke begins to wrap itself around her and Toulouse.

“You really should reconsider my offer.”

Virgil takes a couple of steps back towards the door, not sure exactly what Belinda was planing this time. Carefully he asks, “...what offer?”

“To join our game,” she replies with a grin.

The smoke swirls faster around her as she suddenly launches several feet up into the air. Virgil shields his eyes as leaves and dust go flying everywhere.

“When you grow tired of moping about my garden, you should come out and play with us. We have a lot of fun,” she says with a sugary sweet smile. “More fun, I dare say, than sitting hunched over writing depressing poetry.”

With that, the smoke completely surrounds Belinda and in a sudden flash of green light, she's gone, leaving Virgil to stand alone by the door.

Virgil loved the Realm of Dreams. He really did, but he was definitely going to need a couple of weeks off away from this place. There was always...so...much. 

Too much.

As Virgil picks up the purple hoodie that was still laying neatly next to the realm's door where he left it earlier, and shrugs it on, he thinks about what Belinda said (as much as he really wanted to think about literally anything else at this point).

So what if she basically called him boring, who cares? Boring was safe and safe was...well it was pretty damn ideal. Virgil was perfectly content with just chilling out in the peace and quiet of the garden, far away from the fighting and magic.

Besides, it wasn't like he could just jump right into Roman and Belinda's little 'game'; he'd get his ass kicked. Someone would have to teach him how to fight and _god_ wasn't that a terrifying thought? What if he couldn't control these powers after all? What if he lost control and ended up hurting someone again? What if-

_'No, Virgil, you **protected** with that.'_

He looks down at his left hand again, his right pressed up against the door as he waited for it to open (thankfully, while the Sides couldn't open each others realm gates, they could get back out on their own, as if the door was only locked from the outside). For a brief second, he swore that he could still feel his shadow's lingering there; dancing on his fingertips.

Roman had told him time and time again, that he loved every single part of him, wings and all. It had taken him a while but Virgil was at a point where, on most days, he actually believed that.

So...would Roman accept this part of him too?

Virgil jumps as the door finally swings open for him, presenting the sweet comfort of Roman's room.

No. No. He was not going to think about any of this shit anymore.

Virgil walks into Roman's room, instantly feeling more at ease as the doors close behind him. Right now, he was going to take a shower and then curl up into Roman's bed and wait for him to come home. He was done with witch's and forests and shadows for a while.

* * *

When Roman thinks that he's out of earshot from Virgil, he leans forward and kicks at Samson's side, calling out to push him faster. Samson instantly breaks into a run, both him and his rider ignoring the protesting calls of Louie behind them as they speed well past the other horse's limit. Sunpeak Village was about an hour away from Belinda's cottage when traveling at a relatively normal speed. At this rate, and seeing as how Roman was leading them off the path and into the thick woods, they would get there in twenty minutes.

Roman expertly leads Samson through the thick trees and brush, barely flinching as the sharp wind nips at his face. Louie was right, he really shouldn't have wasted as much time as he did but...Virgil. He needed to make sure Virgil was alright; he wouldn't leave him scared and on the verge of a panic attack in the middle of his realm. Thankfully, as Louie had told him right after they first set off, there were only three creatures to deal with. Small, as they usually were. It wouldn't take him long to cut them down.

Still, if he left them alone for too long, they would start to nag at Thomas. It was more of a priority on days when Thomas was working, as the stress tended to rile them up; as if they would feed off of it. Today was a 'lounge around in his underwear and play video games' day, so they wouldn’t be much trouble.

If Roman completely ignored them (which he has never done, nor will he ever do) they could form into a particularly brutal nightmare.

Roman ducks low under an incoming branch as Samson rushes deeper into the woods. No, the shadow creatures were only a fraction of his worries. 

What was worrying him the most, were the patch of newly blooming, vividly black flowers that had taken over another small part of Belinda's garden. Flowers that liked to watch as Virgil sat at the fountain, scribbling in a journal and completely oblivious to them. 

What worried him, was that he still couldn't figure out just what the hell Belinda was hiding from him, only that it concerned Virgil.

What _really_ worried him, was that for the past month, while he walked throughout the darker parts of the realm alone, he would sometimes hear the faintest of whispers. He could never make out what they were saying, but they always sent a jolt of ice cold through him that left him gripping his sword and shaking in pure fear.

Something was happening; Roman couldn't keep denying it anymore. _Something_ was going on, and a sickening feeling inside of him knew that Virgil was somehow a part of it.

Roman braces himself as Samson prepares to jump over a fallen tree. He leaps, Roman holding on tight to the reigns, and doesn't lose a bit of speed as he lands. Finally in the distance, Roman can make out the sight of tiled roofs and smoke rising from chimneys. He feels the familiar, addicting, surge of adrenaline start to pump through his veins as he thinks about the battle ahead. They were almost there.

No matter what was thrown at him, _nothing_ would stop him from protecting his family. 

Nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Samson is the name of Prince Philip's horse in Sleeping Beauty. Though most of you guys probably got that lol.
> 
> Couple of things real quick. 1) Louie is most likely not going to appear again lol, I know he’s not as fun as Belinda. If he does show up, it’ll only be for a few short moments. 2) I’m a bit worried about if you guys are going to like this chapter. It ended up being so long and I just really hope it wasn’t boring. :/
> 
> Anyway, next chapter is pretty damn fluffy. Plus, the glasses gays finally make another appearance :O!!!


	9. Welcome Home, Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman returns from his quest and finally gets some answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings:** Violence, injury mention, minor blood mention, arguing, swearing.
> 
>  **A/N:** Welp. I know I said that this chapter would have Patton and Logan in it, but I’m a dumbass and completely forgot that there was one more chapter to get through before they came back in. Really sorry about that, but hopefully this chapter will still have been worth the wait. I honestly feel like it’s a bit of a mess but...I’ll let you guys be the judge of that.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is even longer than the last one (freaking 14,281 words omg) and it answers a couple of questions while creating a hundred more at the same time. :O

_“Oh, why did it have to rain today of all days?! I really wanted to play...”_

_“Don't worry, Lin! We can still have fun inside!”_

_“How?”_

_“Hm...why don't I tell you a story?”_

_“A story? That doesn't sound fun at all!”_

_“You'll see! I'm like, the best storyteller ever!”_

_“Well...”_

_“Daring heroes and terrifying villains and truly epic adventures!!!”_

_“...okay! But it better be reeeeally good.”_

_“I promise, it'll be awesome! Okay, so, once upon a time...”_

_...there was a happy, little village, hidden deep within the heart of a magical forest._

_The people of the village were all so kind and caring towards one another. Love and cheer was given freely and just as happily accepted, help was always right there to those who were in need of it and they prided themselves on the peace they were able to keep as they vowed to never raise a weapon to any living creature, no matter what. There was rarely ever a frown in sight._

_One day, a frail, old man came upon the village's doorstep, begging for a place to stay for the night. The people welcomed him in with open arms, offering him the same gracious treatment they gave to their own. Still, the villagers couldn't help but be filled with unease as they sensed something dark and wicked within the strange man. But, out of the goodness of their hearts, the people collectively agreed that the old man deserved as fair of a chance as anyone else._

_Though unbeknownst to the villagers, the old man was actually an evil and extremely powerful sorcerer who had been scheming to take over the village from the inside. You see, the sorcerer was jealous of the villagers' happiness, as he could never hope to feel such things for himself. So, after the people had all gone to sleep for the night, the sorcerer snuck out of the house he was staying in and summoned a horde of monsters to scatter throughout the village; making sure to block every available exit so none could escape._

_The people begged and pleaded with the sorcerer to undo what he had done, promising to give whatever he desired if he would just leave them be, but the sorcerer would not hear their cries. In fact, he took it a step further._

_The villain cursed the village into an eternal night. Summoning a giant, black cloud to stretch itself across the sky, he swore that the people would never feel the comforting warmth of the sun again._

_The villagers couldn't leave to go and find help and they were too far out into the forest for anyone to hear their calls. Even as the vicious beasts scratched and howled at their doors, the people still refused to gather weapons and defend themselves; evil as the monsters were, the villagers just couldn't bring themselves to attack another living creature._

_Days went by and there seemed to be nothing that could save them from this terrible villain. As bright and positive as they once were, the villagers were finally starting to lose hope...but then!_

_Suddenly, in the distance, the people heard someone shout out, “Hey, you! Yeah, you, over there! The creep with all the monsters!”_

_One by one, the villagers started to peek their heads out their windows to see where the source of the noise was coming from. Their eyes landed on two short figures, standing side by side at the entrance gates._

_The one on the right had his foot resting on top of the corpse of a freshly slayed monster, a confident smirk on his face. He carried a small dagger in each hand, one of which was dripping with fresh blood._

_The one on the left was about a foot shorter than their companion and they were leaning against the gate with their arms crossed, glaring fiercely at the sorcerer standing in the middle of the village. Unlike their partner, this one didn't seem to carry a weapon._

_“We're gonna need you to let these people go now,” the shorter figure called out. “Unless you want to get your butt kicked!”_

_Why, those two were just children! No more than ten years old! They couldn't possibly think they could stop the sorcerer, they were sure to be killed if they tried!_

_The sorcerer had just cackled madly as he started to approach the two young ones. “You dare challenge me!” he shouted, as he reached an arm out to summon his magic staff. “Fools! I'll have both of your heads on my mantel before you even know what hit you!”_

_The boy with the daggers grinned wildly at the sorcerer’s threats. Then, turning to his companion, he asked, “You ready?”_

_The shorter child straightened up, gave the boy a nod and then thrust out their hands before them. The villagers watched in awe as the child muttered a few strange words until two golden balls of light appeared within each of the child's palms._

_With a grin of their own, the child shouted, “Let's do this!”_

_Now, there isn't a single soul alive that could tell you exactly what happened next, because everything went by so fast and a giant cloud of dust had been kicked up within the chaos; obscuring most of the villagers' visions even more in the darkness. Magic flew through the air, sparks from blades danced across the ground and glorious cries of battle echoed within the village walls. Only a few minutes had gone by before a truly haunting screech came from somewhere within the battlefield that was the village's market, then...silence._

_Cautiously, the villagers cracked open their doors so they could see what damage had been done. Surely the sorcerer did as he had threatened? Those poor children must certainly be dead..._

_When the dust had finally settled, the sorcerer and all his monsters were gone. All that remained was the staff the sorcerer had summoned and the two young children standing proudly in the middle of the street. The people wanted so badly to rush out of their homes and cheer for the young heroes but...the sky was still pitch black and who knew what else might have been lurking in the shadows?_

_Sensing the villagers' worries, the shorter child leaned down to pick up the staff that the sorcerer had left behind. They gave it a once over with a small frown, shrugged, then raised it above their head triumphantly and brought it back down over their knee with a deafening crack._

_In an instant, the black cloud in the sky dispersed and the bright, shining, welcoming sun lit up the entire village once again._

_Finally, the people ran out of their homes, some of them actually jumping for joy as they cheered for the two young heroes._

_As they all rejoiced, one of the villagers cried, “Oh, thank you kind heroes! You have truly saved us all! Might we have your names so we may pass your courageous tale along to others?”_

_The magic wielding child opened their mouth as if to speak but before they could, their companion replied, “Of course! How rude of us for not introducing ourselves sooner! I am known as Prince—”_

* * *

Roman kept his head low as he looked onward towards the open gates of Sunpeak. He couldn't see too far ahead in his current position, hidden among the heavy foliage on the village's outskirts, but the streets seemed to be completely bare; not a person, or any one of the three shadow creatures, in sight.

No matter, he would have more information soon enough.

It was...eerily quiet. The village should be fairly active at this time of day, even in the dreary, rainy weather they were currently having. The people must all be hiding away from the creatures, which was a good thing because the creatures had so far never dared to actually enter anyone's home. They liked to just slink around in alleyways or curl themselves up in small places, waiting to strike. Still, seeing no one outside at all was somewhat strange. Usually when Roman approached a town to rid them of some foul being, there were at least guards running around trying to contain the situation as best they could. Was it possible that they didn't have guards in this... 

_Wait._ This was Sunpeak so that meant...of course. God, it had been so long since Roman last visited this place he had almost forgotten that this village prohibited any sort of violence amongst themselves, so they wouldn't have any guards stationed here. Now _that_ was an old memory. So old he could have easily mistaken it for a dream, which meant he must have obtained it long before he had—

Samson, somehow sensing the shift in his master's attention, suddenly snorts and then scrapes a hoof against the dirt; a subtle but effective way to bring Roman out of his reminiscing.

_Not right now. Focus._

Roman shakes his head quickly then pats Samson's neck to silently thank him before he goes back to concentrating on the village gates. Any minute now, his informant would be returning with a (hopefully) beneficial report so then he could finally move to take these fiends out; the sooner he could get home, the better. Honestly, Roman would have loved to just rush headfirst into battle right this instant because, besides being just plain fun, the added danger of it all was exhilarating and he was simply addicted to the rush he got from it. Really the only reason he hadn't done just that was because he really wasn't looking forward to getting scolded by Virgil if he came home bruised and bloodied (though still victorious, of course). It was better to play it safe this time and stay hidden until he knew for certain where—

Something fast and bright green suddenly zips through the dark gray sky above and Roman jerks his head upwards in an attempt to follow its movements. He loses sight of it immediately but within a few seconds, he feels the faintest hint of something small land on his left shoulder. The thing gives him the softest of peeps to further prove that it was, in fact, here now. 

Without looking, Roman reaches up to his shoulder and offers a single finger to the tiny hummingbird he had sent out only a few moments ago to scout out the town for him. He could have done this job himself but there was no telling how long it would take to find all three creatures. Shadow creatures were incredibly stealthy, he could be hunting them down for hours and Roman really didn't want to waste any more time than he needed to. Not only was the hummingbird small, making it unlikely to be seen by anyone (or any _thing_ ), it also moved swiftly; all in all a far more efficient and less risky option. Knowing exactly where those fiends were residing from the start meant Roman could get in and out quickly, then he could finally go home and check on Virgil.

So far, Roman had managed to completely focus on the task at hand and not on the anxiousness he had been feeling over not knowing whether Virgil would make it home safe or...

He feels the hummingbird hop onto his offered finger and Roman once again shoves his worries down so he can give it his full attention. When he brings it up close to his face, the bird gives him a cheery peep and then ruffles its feathers until it looked like a little ball of fluff.

Roman smiles and whispers, “So? What did you find?” 

The bird seems to give him a little nod before launching into a string of rapid, but soft, chirping; if it was even a couple of feet away Roman might not have heard it at all because it was that quiet. 

_(“Open place with lots of treats and shiny things!!! Big shadow! They make mess!”)_

The first shadow creature, the hummingbird informed him, was wreaking havoc among the merchant carts, deep within the middle of the village square. 

_(“Little house with tiny humans! They so scared! Sharp claws on glass! Scratch, scratch, scratch!”)_

The second was slinking around outside of the schoolyard, scratching at the windows and hissing at the terrified children. 

_(“West side! Dark place! No see good! Walk up and they'll get ya! Be careful!”)_

The third was curled up in a mass and hidden under the porch of one the citizens' homes, patiently waiting for someone foolish enough to walk up the steps. 

Roman listened to the hummingbird's report intently and then, when it had finally ceased its tweeting, he said, “Brilliant work, little one. I can't thank—”

Suddenly, the bird lifts off his finger and starts to fly around in a circle so fast, it made Roman dizzy watching it. At the same time, it pointed its beak down towards the ground and began to twitter at him aggressively.

_(“Look out! Look out! Waiting! Hiding! Be careful!!!”)_

Roman glanced down at the forest floor below him for just a moment, regarded it with a curious tilt of his head, and then smirked. 

“Ah, is that so?” he asks quietly, eyes still focused on the ground.

The hummingbird gives him an affirmative chirp and then settles back down onto his finger, now completely silent and watching Roman with its beady, black eyes

Roman looks back up to the hummingbird and says, “Thank you, my friend. You've just saved me quite a bit of trouble.”

The small bird puffed out its shimmering, pink chest and chirped happily at the praise _(“Yes! I help! You welcome!”)_ , then it lifted back off of Roman's finger. In an instant, it had zoomed up and away, back into the woods.

The shadow creatures were twisting masses of negative energy, constantly warping into different nightmarish forms; one minute they were a snarling hell hound with razor sharp claws and the next they were a slithering serpent with long fangs, ready to strike. The only constant feature was that they were all as black as the darkest of starless night skies, along with their wide, bright yellow eyes. As terrifying as they could appear, the shadows rarely grew any larger than about three feet in both height and width.

Roman had faced beasts of the forest that were much bigger and more ferocious than these creatures. Still, shadow creatures were fast, cunning and extremely aggressive so despite their size, fighting them in large numbers was especially dangerous. The creatures would often team up to ambush any poor soul who had the misfortune of coming across their path. Roman found it was better to keep them as far away from each other as possible and pick them off one at a time...which was exactly what he was hoping to do now.

Roman's eyes flash back down onto the forest floor for a brief moment, seemingly staring at nothing but dirt and grass, then he turns his attention to his steed. 

“Samson?” he asks, in the faintest of whispers. “Are you ready?

The horse cranes his neck back to meet Roman's gaze, gives him a single huff of acknowledgment and then turns back around.

Apparently, as Roman's feathery friend had just warned him, a fourth creature had spawned. It was currently disguising itself as Samson's shadow, presumably waiting for Roman to enter the town so it could strike him while he was distracted with the other creatures. 

Unfortunately for the shadow, Roman would not be giving it that chance.

Roman couldn't help but grin as he took hold of the reins, his right hand practically shaking in anticipation for the blade that it would be summoning any minute now. He gives Samson's side a light kick and the horse is quick to obey his command, slowly and carefully leading them out of the heavy brush, towards the entrance to Sunpeak.

The moment they reach the village gates, Roman is yanking back on the reins as hard as he can and calling out to Samson with a demanding, “Now!”

The horse doesn't hesitate to rear back onto its hind legs, letting out a shrill whinny as he kicks out into the air. On the ground below them, Samson's shadow, instead of moving with its owner as shadows were supposed to do, freezes in place for barely a second before it starts to spasms and then actually screeches. Realizing it had been found out, the creature raises itself out of the ground, its form instantly changing from that of a mess of shapeless shadows into one of a large rat, then darts out from underneath the horse and begins to run away into the woods behind them.

Everything happens in a matter of seconds then. Roman lets go of one of the reins, holding on tight to the other so he doesn't fall back, and quickly summons a large dagger in his now free hand. Before Samson’s hooves can even land back down on the ground, Roman is twisting around to hurl the dagger straight at the creature trying to escape behind them.

The blade whizzes through the air at an incredible speed, far faster than the shadow can run. There's a pained, inhuman shriek as the dagger connects with the creature's back foot and, at least for the moment, pins it down onto the ground.

Before it has a chance to escape, Roman is sliding off of Samson and then running over to the shadow; red magic sparking from his right hand as a short sword forms within his grasp. The twisted thing thrashes back and forth wildly as it hears him approaching, desperately trying to get away, but Roman is too fast. As soon as he reaches the shadow creature, Roman takes hold of the hilt of his sword with both hands, raises the blade over his head and then with a triumphant cry, plunges the sword down into the creature's back. 

A spray of inky, black matter shoots out of the wound and the creature screams in rage but its cries are quickly ceased as Roman pulls the blade out, then quickly brings it back down to slice the creature completely in half. The disgusting mess of black matter and shadows the creature had become stills and then, disperses into the wind until nothing remained.

Roman grins and turns back to Samson, running a hand through his disheveled hair. “No need to hold your applause. I know, that was freaking awesome.” 

Samson looks back at Roman, rolls his eyes with a huff and then turns back around, flicking his tail to further convey his annoyance.

Roman frowns, muttering, “Alright, you don't have to be rude...”

He walks back over to the horse and reaches up to pat its side, turning to look into the village before them. The locations the bird had pointed out were all much farther inside, so Roman was positive their little show wouldn't have attracted any of the remaining shadows.

“Now then, I want you to wait out here, Sam,” Roman says, looking up at the horse. “As much as I'd like to have you at my side, I'm afraid you'll draw too much attention and we can't have that.”

Samson shakes his head back and forth and stomps a hoof down, scraping it into the dirt; clearly not happy with Roman's decision. 

Roman sighs and says, “Now, don't fuss. It's just that I want to get this over with as fast as possible, lest any more of those fiends spawn...”

Undoubtedly, the time Roman had spent at Belinda's house trying to reassure and calm down Virgil had been just long enough that the shadow creatures were able to spread. Not that Roman regretted his decision to stay as long as he did, Virgil needed him just as much as Thomas did at that moment. Besides, Roman had done this many times before and it was only one extra creature after all; four (now back down to three) measly shadows meant nothing to a knight of his caliber.

“There will be plenty of glorious battles in our future, old friend,” Roman tells Samson, with a smile. “Don't you worry.”

Samson still didn't seem too pleased but he nudges his muzzle against Roman's hand and gives it a small lick anyway. Then he turns around (his head hanging down slightly as he sulked) and starts to walk away, heading back to the bushes they had previously been hiding in.

Roman watches him go and then sets his gaze back on the silent village. He grips his sword tighter and then begins to move forward.

Get in, slay the beasts one by one and then get out. He'd be home in time for dinner.

* * *

Roman had silently made his way through the backstreets of the village without any issue. Now from his current position, crouching down low in a dark alleyway, he actually had a visual on the three shadow creatures; each one exactly where the hummingbird had told him they would be.

One sitting on top of a merchants cart as it slowly turned its head back and forth on the lookout for any potential prey, one still tormenting the poor children trapped inside the school and Roman could just barely make out the bright, glowing eyes of the one blending in with the real shadows underneath the porch stairs.

Roman slowly stands up and then presses his back against the wall. He was already on the edge of a perfect plan to take them all out swiftly, he just had to figure out how—

A sudden violent wave of dark energy washes over him out of nowhere and Roman can't help but gasp in surprise, his sword slipping out of his hand and clanking down onto the cobbled ground. The sound is magnified in the silence of the village and, though Roman can't see them, he can _feel_ three sets of malicious eyes suddenly shift their gaze towards the alley he was hiding in.

No, wait...four. _Four_ sets of eyes were watching him now.

There was a fifth creature.

Roman looks up just in time to see a shadowy blob plummet to the ground beside him from the dark, cobweb ridden corner it had just spawned from. In his shock, he can't bring himself to move fast enough as the creature instantly springs forward, its form shaping into that of a snarling, vicious boar. It rams its large head into his side and sends Roman flying back several feet across the alleyway; he just barely manages to keep his head from smacking down against the cold, hard street as he lands on his back with a strained grunt.

Before he can even sit up, the shadow creature rushes forward, leaps into the air and then lands back down directly onto Roman's chest.

Roman lets out a strangled cry as he feels all the air leave his lungs in an instant and his entire body tenses up as the weight of the boar-like shadow creature presses down onto his chest. It starts to thrash its head from side to side as it lets out one continuous, unholy scream right into Roman's face and he grits his teeth in pain as a tusk manages to slice into his cheek. 

Summoning all his strength, Roman reaches up and grabs a hold of the creature's two shadowy tusks to hold it still, or at least attempt to as the creature was putting up one hell of a fight. 

It screeched and pushed its hooves down harder but Roman refused to focus on the pain, gritting his teeth, he glared at the creature right back and held on to it tight. He could barely breath with all of the weight pressing down on his chest and his head was staring to spin while his vision darkened from the lack of oxygen, but Roman still manages to force out the words to a spell.

Just as the creature was finally starting to win out in strength, a flash of light springs forth from Roman's hands and white hot magic tears into the shadow boar. Both of its tusks and half of its already disfigured face rapidly crumble into ashes that scatter into the wind.

The creature reels, falling backwards onto the street, and screams out in pain. Its form immediately starts to twist and morph from a boar into what could have been a wolf, if not for the second blast of magic Roman throws at it. This time, the creature's entire body lights up in the blast and Roman watches as its flailing and screaming quickly quiets down until it goes completely silent. Soon, what was left of its form disintegrates away into nothing.

Roman pulls himself up off the ground and then leans against the wall, taking in deep, gasping breaths of air. All things considered, he had come out relatively unharmed during that encounter; it certainly could have gone a lot worse. As sore as he was, he couldn't afford to waste anymore time because any minute now the others would—

A single, monstrous howl sounds off in the distance. It's soon joined by another and another until three terrifying voices are screaming together in one unified war cry. 

Roman sighs and pushes himself away from the wall, then walks over to where his sword had fallen and picks it back up. He can hear the scraping of claws against cobble stone, getting closer and closer, and his heart pounds against his chest in anticipation. 

As he finally walks out of the alleyway and into the village's main street, he's greeted to the three remaining shadow creatures. They scream in rage as they leap towards him, yellow eyes, bright and wild, glaring him down.

Roman grips the handle of his sword in his right hand and feels his magic start to tingle on the tips of his fingers in his left. A familiar, cocky grin spreads across his face as adrenaline pumps fiercely in his veins, then he's rushing forward to meet the creatures head on with his own mighty battle cry.

* * *

Thankfully, the rest of the battle went entirely in Roman's favor. Without the element of surprise, the shadow creatures were almost too easy to cut down. He had managed to avoid every swipe of their sharp claws and fangs. Why, aside from a couple of nasty bruises, he had come out practically unscathed.

Things may not have gone according to plan but in the end, he had still come out victorious and with a fantastic new story to tell at that. What more could a great adventurer such as himself ask for? 

The moment the last creature had been slain, the sky above had lightened from a dark, murky gray to a beautiful light blue and the sun was finally able to shine down over the village once again. It didn't take long for the people to rush out of their homes after that, cheering Roman's name as they took to the streets to celebrate their rescue.

As much as Roman would have loved to stay and soak up all their praises, he really needed to get home. This little quest took considerably longer than he had wanted it to. It normally wouldn't have really mattered since time inside of the realms flowed slower then it did outside but Virgil could still be out in the woods, trying to make it home. If everything had gone smoothly with Belinda, the two should be reaching the realm gate right about now but if something had gone wrong...

Roman couldn't stand to waste any more time. So, after giving the villagers a warm smile and a proud bow to show that he appreciated their thanks, he whistles for Samson to finally come and meet him again.

Just as the two of them are riding out of the village, Roman sees Louie and his stout pony making their way to the front gates, finally catching up after all this time. As their eyes meet, Louie, with a determined frown set across his face, starts to frantically wave back and forth in an attempt to halt them.

Roman knows it's horribly rude but he just can't afford to stop and greet him. Louie would want to know the details of what happened here today (that, and the prince was probably in for a scolding after leaving Louie behind earlier) and that would just take up more precious time. So, as Samson starts to cross Louie's path, Roman leans forward, kicks at the horse's side and shouts out an order for him to speed up. 

Samson happily obeys. 

As they pass him by, Roman at least has the decency to look over his shoulder to acknowledge Louie with a wave and an apologetic smile. Even as Louie got farther and farther away from view, Roman could still see his face turn bright red in anger and frustration. 

Honestly, Roman didn't feel as bad about that as he probably should.

The ride to Sunpeak village, taking care of the shadow creatures and then going back to the realm gate altogether took Roman just a little under two hours. He spends the entire twenty minute ride back home worrying about Virgil; wondering if Belinda had said anything to upset him again, wondering if the two of them encountered any beasts along the way, hoping and praying that Belinda was indeed strong enough to protect them both if it came down to that.

In the back of his mind, Roman noted how disconcerting it was that the shadow creatures had spread as fast as they did but he refused to fully entertain that thought right now. Save it for another day. Preferably a day in which he didn't have to worry about whether his boyfriend was at home safe and sound or not.

* * *

Roman can already feel some of the heavy weight of the day's stress and worries lift off of him the moment he finally steps foot into his room. Behind him, the realm gate closes shut on its own and then, with a dull flash of red light that traces along the intricate patterns of the door, locks with a soft click. Letting out a heavy sigh, Roman leans back against the doors and closes his eyes, finally allowing himself to take a moment to breathe.

Roman adored The Realm of Dreams. There was an infinite amount of adventures to be had, challenges he could face to test his worth, wonderful people and creatures to meet or even dream up himself. Frankly, there were times when he absolutely _needed_ to escape from the mindspace, as he would crave the sense of freedom his realm offered, but at the end of the day...there really was no place like home. 

He doesn't allow himself to rest for too long, as there was still one more thing left to worry about. After only a minute, Roman straightens up and starts to walk across his room (ignoring the twinges of pain from his bruises). He intended on heading over to Virgil's room to check on him...if he was even there. Virgil's hoodie wasn't sitting next to the door where he had left it earlier in the day and though Roman wanted to assume it meant he was home, there was still a chance that—

A loud snore suddenly sounds from the other side of Roman's bedroom and the prince freezes in place, his hand hovering over the doorknob. He must have been so tired he hadn't noticed right away that he wasn't alone. 

Slowly, he turns towards the source of the noise...

Curled up in a tight ball on Roman’s bed, arms wrapped around himself with a content little smile on his face, was Virgil. He had made it home.

The wave of utter relief that suddenly washes over Roman was so strong, he actually feels himself start to tear up; he couldn't help it. Seeing his partner's form rise and fall so peacefully as he slept on, warm, comfortable and most of all _safe_...Roman couldn't think of a better sight to be greeted to after such a chaotic day.

Despite the problems he was having with Belinda as of late, Roman makes a mental note to thank the little witch for seeing Virgil home as she had said she would. 

He wipes at his eyes, making sure there was no trace of any tears, even if they were happy ones, before he walks over to his bed. If Virgil was awake to see him like this, there was no doubt the anxious Side would tease him for being such a sap; the thought still puts a smile on Roman's face.

Carefully, so as not to scare him awake, Roman seats himself down on the edge of his bed. Virgil had always looked somewhat small laying in Roman's bed (as it was a king size, of course, on a giant four poster frame) but now, with his knees brought up to his chest and his head buried in his arms, he seemed positively tiny. Like a grouchy little kitten, practically sinking into the thick comforter he was laying on top of. He was utterly adorable...not that Roman would dare to actually say that to his face.

After indulging himself for a moment to just watch Virgil sleep, Roman leans down and presses a kiss on the top of his head in the hopes of waking him up as gently as possible. He feels something pleasantly warm stir within him when he smells his own strawberry shampoo in Virgil's damp hair. 

Virgil only snuggled closer into himself in response, the smile on his face turning into a slight frown.

Roman gives it another try, this time placing a kiss on Virgil's cheek. When that doesn't work, he kisses his forehead, then back to his cheek again and then right on the tip of his nose until finally, the younger Side wakes up. 

Virgil scrunches up his nose and scowls, reaching up with a displeased grunt to push Roman's face away when he tries to kiss him again. “Ngh...fuck off,” he mutters, still refusing to open his eyes.

Roman chuckles and nuzzles his face into Virgil's hand, saying, “You know, you're being awfully rude to someone who just rescued an entire town from the clutches of evil.”

Virgil grumbles something unintelligible and Roman could only guess what terrible things his beloved boyfriend had just cursed at him.

Grinning, Roman pushes away Virgil's hand to place yet another kiss on his cheek then says, “If only you had seen just how brave and awesome you're knight in shinning armor—”

Virgil, still not opening his eyes, shoves Roman's face away and groans, “Ugh, dude, you reek.”

Roman is so taken aback by that he actually can't find the words to respond right away. He just sits up and stares down at Virgil with his mouth agape. How unbelievably rude! Alright, perhaps he did have just a bit of dirt on him after rolling around trying to dodge attacks, and his outfit might have been sticking to his skin a little after working up a sweat from all that strenuous fighting...

Okay, maybe Virgil was right and he did smell pretty terrible but _still_.

Roman frowns down at him and says, “Oh, well excuse me but you can't be a great adventurer without getting your hands at least a little dirty, love. It's just a tad bit demanding, you see.”

Virgil just growls darkly and then pulls his hood up over his head as far as it will go. His eyes remain closed but it was clear that he wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon.

Roman can't help but smile as he watches Virgil pout and he leans forward once again with the full intention of picking up where he left off; forcing him out of bed with more kisses. Then he pauses as something suddenly occurred to him. Something that he should have thought about from the start. 

Considering the day they had, it was entirely possible that Virgil was actually too worked up to want to be touched right now.

They had talked a lot over the past few weeks, now that they were making more of an effort to be open and honest with one another, and one of the many things Virgil had shared with him was that on days where he was especially anxious, the mere thought of having someones hands all over him made his skin crawl. Roman recalled how nervous Virgil was admitting this to him, how he kept apologizing for being so back and forth; hating any type of physical affection on one day and then absolutely craving it the next. Though Roman had tried his best to reassure him that he didn't need a reason to feel any certain way, Virgil had still tried to put this discomfort into words until he finally just settled with a frustrated, _“It's just... **too much** , sometimes. Everything is just **too much.** ”_

Roman mentally kicked himself for kissing him without checking to make sure it was alright first. It wasn't the first time he had selfishly let his own emotions come before Virgil's comfort and it probably wouldn't be the last but...as they both had to keep reminding themselves, they still had a long ways to go. They got along so well now, it was sometimes easy to forget just how drastic their differences could be.

Roman was trying. Sometimes it felt like he made more mistakes than anything else, and that was beyond frustrating, but still, he was trying.

Instead of using kisses to get his attention, Roman just takes hold of Virgil's hood and gently tugs it back down. “You're in my bed, sleeping gloomy,” he says, smirking as Virgil lets out an annoyed sigh. “Be nice or I'll kick your butt out of it.”

With a dramatically drawn out groan, Virgil finally opens his eyes and then rolls onto his back to greet him with a scowl (a familiar look that Roman was still so hopelessly in love with) but then that childish pout quickly morphs into a wide eyed look of concern. Before Roman can ask him what was wrong, Virgil is pushing himself up into a sitting position and leaning in close into Roman's space. For a second, Roman thought Virgil was actually about to kiss him but the dark worry he sees behind those hazel eyes quickly tells him otherwise.

“Damn it, Ro,” he whispers almost to himself, his eyes roaming over Roman's body before fixing their gaze back to his face.

“Verge?” Roman asks, as Virgil starts to reach a hand up towards him. “What are you— ”

The sharp sting that pulses from his right cheek as Virgil lightly presses his fingertips to it, completely takes Roman (and Virgil who gasps at his response and immediately withdraws his hand) by surprise and he cries out. In an instant, he's flinching back and then cupping his cheek in a futile attempt to numb the pain. 

“I thought I told you to be safe,” Virgil says, and though he's glaring and doing his best to look as intimidating as possible, Roman can still see just how scared he actually was.

In his eagerness to get home, and partially from the adrenaline that had still been lingering in his veins, Roman had practically forgotten about the wounds he had sustained. He didn't think anything of the dull, throbbing ache against his chest from when the creature tried to crush him or the burn the wind whipped against his cheek as Samson raced them through the forest. Roman simply didn't have the patience to worry about his own pain when he had Virgil waiting for him to come back home.

 _Damn it_ , he was usually so careful about hiding his injuries from the others. This was exactly what he had been trying to prevent when he chose to take the more cautious route rather than the reckless one. Virgil had enough to deal with on a daily basis, he didn't need to worry about his foolish boyfriend on top of everything else.

Carefully, Roman pulls his hand away from his cheek, biting his tongue to keep from wincing. There isn't a lot, thankfully, but he did have some fresh blood on his palm; a thin streak in the outline of the cut. As Roman frowns and summons a clean, damp rag in his other hand, he looks over at Virgil to assure him that everything was alright...but the words get caught in his throat.

Virgil was staring wide eyed at his own, shaking hand as he watched a drop of Roman's blood drip down from his fingertips.

Just as Virgil's breathing starts to pick up, Roman moves, reaching out to take his hand. Virgil whimpers and tries to pull out of Roman's grip but then settles as Roman takes the cloth intended for himself and starts wiping away the blood on his hand instead. Virgil was tough, but Roman knew how much he hated the sight of blood, especially if it was on his own skin. It didn't take a lot of it to send him into a panic attack. All things considered, Virgil was doing an exceptional job at staying calm.

“It's alright, merely a scratch,” Roman tells him, taking extra care to clean off every last drop. “I know it may look bad but...I'm here, aren't I? I made it home. I'm okay.”

Virgil doesn't answer him, in fact he doesn't even look at him. His eyes were set across the room, staring right through Roman's _101 Dalmatians_ poster as he concentrated on taking deep breaths in and slowly back out.

Roman goes on, hoping his voice was a good enough distraction. “Those fiends will not be getting another chance to strike me down, I can promise you that. Because, well, they're dead. I killed them. Obviously.” 

He pulls the cloth back to check and see if Virgil's hand was clean. It was, so he lets him go, gently placing his hand down onto Virgil's lap. Then Roman reaches up to flip his hair as he says, “Being a valiant hero and all that, it's kind of what I do. I take down bad guys, in case you forgot.”

Virgil snorts but remains silent.

Roman grins and rambles on. “Well, I suppose they could have another chance to get revenge if they came back as ghosts or something. Though I'm not sure how much damage a ghost could do seeing as how they're incorporeal...”

Virgil bites his lip to keep from laughing and then says, “Dude, there are tons of accounts of ghosts like, grabbing people and scratching them and shit.”

Roman rolls his eyes. “Okay, well I'll have you know that my fantasy ghosts can't do that. They just move right through you.”

Virgil doesn't take his eyes off the poster as he says, “You told me there's a bunch of weird stuff hiding in your realm, so how do you know there aren't any fantasy ghosts out there that can like, throw punches or something?”

Roman just shakes his head and bites back a smile.

Virgil only takes another minute to steady his breathing before he turns around, looks at Roman...and immediately starts to tense up again. Roman opens his mouth to question him but his eyes land on the cloth sitting on the bed and it hits him.

“Oh!” he exclaims, scrambling to pick up the rag so he could cover up the open wound still throbbing on his cheek. “Geez, Virgil I'm—”

Virgil cuts him off as he snatches the cloth out Roman's hand with a soft, but demanding, “Give me that.” 

He scoots up closer to him and then gently presses the rag up against Roman's cheek. Even the smooth, cool cloth somehow manages to burn but Roman swallows down his discomfort for Virgil's sake. 

As Virgil starts to gently wipe away the drying blood, Roman says, “Darling, you don't have to—”

“Shut up and make me a band-aid,” Virgil interrupts, thrusting his free hand out and waiting for said bandage.

Roman frowns at him but Virgil only side-eyes him back with a glare as he continues to clean and press against the cut, trying to stop the bleeding completely.

Roman hadn't seen the extent of the damage but it must not have been that bad if all Virgil thought it needed was to be bandaged up. Wounds from the darker creatures of the Realm of Dreams did tend to have a lingering burning sensation to them, no matter how deep or shallow the wounds happened to be, not that Virgil would know that. The only thing Roman could do was wait for the pain to pass after a couple of days (or weeks for particularly nasty creatures)...that or ask Patton to heal it which Roman would _really_ rather not do.

Rolling his eyes and forcing out a loud sigh, Roman flicks his wrist and conjures a bandage big enough to hopefully cover the gash. Virgil snatches it out of his hand before Roman has the chance to actually hand it to him and then places it between his teeth so he can work the paper off the back.

“You're a pain in the ass,” he mumbles around the bandage.

Roman bites back the urge to flash Virgil one of his signature shit eating grins, as he really didn't want to open the cut up more. Still, he sticks his tongue out at him and then says, “I know, but you love me anyway, right?”

Virgil doesn't humor him with an answer, as he removes the cloth and begins to replace it with the bandage, but Roman was pretty positive he knew what it would have been anyway. Something along the lines of, _yeah...but you're still a pain in the ass._

As Virgil traces his fingers around the edges of the bandage to make sure it was going to stay on, Roman sincerely says, “Thank you, Virgil. I really am sorry that I worried you.”

Next time, he'll make sure to cover up his battle wounds _before_ Virgil could see them. Like he did with all the others. Like he did with all the ones that became deep, jagged scars after some time.

Makeup truly was a marvelous thing.

Virgil sits back and lets his eyes roam down Roman's body. They linger on the strange pattern of dirt staining the front of his attire, right over his chest, but not for too long. Roman could only guess that he was looking for anymore signs of bleeding; he seems a little more at ease when he finds none.

“Will you at least promise me you'll be more careful next time?” Virgil asks him, not quite meeting Roman's eyes.

Roman gives him a smile. “Of course, love. I—”

“Cause I know how you get.”

Roman leans back away from him a little and raises an eyebrow. He can't tell if this was leading up to some teasing punchline or something more serious, though, the fact that Virgil still refused to look at him pointed to the latter. 

A little more defensively than he means to, Roman responds, “And just what is that supposed to mean?”

Virgil scoots back farther so he can lean against the headboard. He pulls his sleeves down over his hands as he hesitantly says, “I mean...you always think you can take on more than you actually can.”

If Roman had known to expect such a brutal response, he would have mentally prepared for it. Now he can't stop himself from showing how much Virgil's words hurt him; the pain that flashes across his face was anything but inconspicuous.

...did Virgil actually doubt that Roman could protect them? Did he think Roman was weak? What kind of a knight was he if his own love didn't believe he was strong enough to keep them safe?

Virgil actually winces when he finally looks up at Roman but he's quick to disguise his concern by giving him, what he probably hoped was, a reassuring half-smile. 

“Hey, don't get me wrong, hero,” Virgil says. “You're tough, I didn't have to see you fight Belinda to know that.”

Roman feels the smallest hint of relief at Virgil's words but he doesn't allow himself to relax just yet. His guard was up now, just in case.

In a voice full of confidence he didn't actually have, Roman says, “Well, of course you did! I am _the_ Prince Roman after all, it's basically impossible for anyone to deny my greatness.”

The smile Roman flashes him does nothing to help his act, Virgil just knew him too well, he could easily see through it. Thankfully though, Virgil takes mercy on him and lets Roman wear that mask...at least for now. 

The anxious Side rolls his eyes and sarcastically replies, “Yeah, yeah, you're so strong and brave and handsome...”

As Virgil trails off, Roman leans forward to set his elbows on his knees then folds his hands together and delicately rests his chin on them. “Please, continue,” he drawls. “Really. I insist.”

Virgil barely manages to force out a small laugh before his smile falls again. He looks back down at his hands and says, as he fidgets with a hole in his cuff, “Seriously though. Everyone has their limits, even you, Ro. I know you like to tell everyone that you're indestructible...but you're not. No one is.”

Virgil, still staring down at his sleeve, brings his free hand up and starts to nibble at the tip of his thumb. Something was wrong. Roman was fully prepared to come home to an overly anxious Virgil after the day they had but hearing him talk about all of this was... 

Oh. Of course, how had he not realized it sooner? Belinda. It had to be. What else could have possibly brought this conversation on?

Now more than ever before Roman wanted to press Virgil not only on what was said or done during their walk back today, but on exactly what the hell those two talked about in Belinda's cottage the day she shut Roman out.

“Look, I'm sure you can take a lot,” Virgil says, his foot starting to rapidly shake back and forth, “but...I still worry about you, okay?”

“Virgil,” Roman calls as gently as he can, carefully attempting to bring him back down.

Virgil doesn't listen, in fact he starts talking faster. “Like, I worry about everything, no shit, but I really worry about you cause, I mean, how could I not? And like, you're always alone so what if...what if one day you reach your limit and no one's around to help you?!”

Roman shifts closer to Virgil, hoping that his movement would be enough to snap him out of it as he still didn't want to touch him without permission. He calls his name again, but Virgil just goes on.

“Like, like, _fuck_ , Roman! What if someday you take on too much and you don't come back—”

“ _Virgil._ ”

Virgil squeezes his eyes shut and forces himself to take a deep breath. As he breaths back out he whispers, “Sorry...”

Roman sighs and asks, “Darling, where is this all coming from?”

Virgil opens his eyes, but still avoids Roman's gaze, and then silently shrugs. His thumb had already made its way back into his mouth and his teeth were biting down on it so hard the whole thing was turning red. Roman reaches over and carefully draws it back out. Virgil doesn't fight him, for once, and he doesn't move to take it back in.

It was obvious that all of this was more than just Virgil's usual anxiety talking. If it really did have something to do with Belinda...perhaps Roman had more to worry about than he thought. 

Roman wanted to take Virgil's face into his hands so he could coax all of his worries and fears out with kisses but, respectfully, he doesn't. Instead, Roman just leans forward a few inches closer into Virgil's space and asks, “Hey, can you look at me for a second?”

Virgil frowns but complies, looking up to meet Roman's gaze.

“I'll be more careful from now on, alright?” Roman places a finger on the left side of his own chest, right over his heart, and then drags it back and forth to make cross as he says, “I promise.”

Truth be told, as reckless as he could be, Roman did try to stay relatively safe when he was out on a quest. He could promise that he would try, but he couldn't promise that he would never come home hurt again; with the trouble he had to face, there was just no way that was possible. Putting himself at risk was sometimes necessary in order to protect Thomas and the others...and Roman knew full well that Virgil also understood this.

Virgil stares back at Roman, his expression frustratingly unreadable, then after a moment he nods and simply says, “...okay.”

To his surprise, Virgil reaches out, traces two fingers along Roman's jaw and then gives him a small but warm smile. No kiss, no cuddles, just a light touch and a smile but that's all it takes to set Roman's heart racing. He can't help the wide, dopey grin he gives Virgil back but the moment is short lived as his movements irritate the wound on his cheek. He winces and Virgil's smile, to Roman's disappointment, falls once again into a concerned frown.

“You should go ask Patton to take care of that,” he says, and though it was presented as a suggestion, Roman can tell by Virgil's tone that it was actually a soft demand.

“V, it's fine,” Roman huffs. “I assure you there's nothing to be concerned abou—”

“What if it's infected?”

Roman rolls his eyes “It's not infected,” he tells him firmly.

Virgil leans back against the headboard again, draws his legs up to his chest, wraps his arms around himself and then places his chin on his knees; for once, it's more of a cute habit than a sign that he was anxious.

“You didn't get that too long ago, right?” Virgil asks, his eyes narrowing.

“Right...”

“And it already hurts this bad?”

Roman shakes his head. “Virgil, for goodness' sake...” 

“If it _is_ infected,” Virgil goes on, ignoring Roman's annoyance, “which it probably is, it's only gonna get worse the longer you wait.”

Roman groans and twists around to plop back onto his bed. “It's only a little scratch, Virgil!” he exclaims, waving his arms up dramatically. “I'm telling you, it's fine! There's no need to bother Patton about it!”

Virgil keeps pushing. “Okay, but what if it's not fine? Maybe it's not infected now but it could be later if you don't take care of it! What if it spreads or something and you—”

“You know, I'm sure Logan would just love to hear all of these 'what ifs.' Should we go pay him a visit instead?”

Virgil closes his mouth shut and shoots Roman an icy glare. Hugging his knees tight, he turns away to look at the wall, pouting in silence like a child.

Roman sighs and then rolls onto his side. He reaches over to tug on Virgil's pant leg and the younger Side all but growls at him, though it only makes Roman crack a smile. 

“Look,” Roman says, “if it'll make you feel better...I'll have Patton check on it when we come out for dinner later, okay?” 

Roman always felt guilty having Patton heal his wounds, no matter how many times the father figure had actually _begged_ him to ask for his help when Roman needed it. He hated how weak he felt in Patton's grasp, knowing he was only there because he made a mistake. Knowing that _Patton_ knew he made a mistake. Roman couldn't have the others, or Thomas, ever questioning his strength. They needed to know they could always count on him, no matter the foe.

But of course, Roman doesn't tell Virgil any of this.

Virgil perks up just a little but he still tries to push again, saying, “Or you could just go now? Dinner probably wont be ready for another hour so...”

“Pleeeease, Virgil?” Roman whines, actually sticking his lip out in a pout for good measure (and Virgil rolls his eyes and pretends to not be amused). “It's been a long day and...I'd really just like to spend some time with you for awhile. This cut can wait.”

He trails his hand up Virgil's leg, just barely touching, and stops when he gets to his hand. Roman looks at him with an unspoken question _(is this okay?)_ and Virgil gives him his answer by taking his hand and intertwining their fingers _(yeah, this is enough)_.

“Fine, the cut can wait,” Virgil finally sighs. Then a wicked smirk flashes across his face and he goes on to ask, “But you know what really can't wait?”

Roman eyes narrow and he cautiously asks, “...what?”

“A shower. Seriously, dude, you smell like ass.”

“Virgil!” Roman gasps as he pulls his hand away and sits straight up.

Virgil grins. “What? It's true.”

Roman has to bite back a grin of his own as he says, “ _Ahem_ , you seem to be mistaken.” He places his hand elegantly against his chest and puts on his most pompous of voices. “That, my love, is the glorious musk of victory.”

Virgil snorts. “That's fucking gross, dude.”

As Roman shoots him a glare and opens his mouth to argue further, Virgil spins around, grabs a pillow and hurls it at him. He misses by quite a lot and Roman had the feeling that it was intentional, he probably didn't want to accidentally irritate his cheek. 

“Roman,” he says, while trying to bite back giggles, “I swear to god if you don't fuck off and take a shower right now, I won't spend the night.”

“Oh,” Roman says lowly, “I wasn't aware that was an option.”

Virgil looks confused until Roman starts wiggling his eyebrows at him suggestively and then he's turning bright red. The second pillow that gets hurled in Roman's direction just narrowly misses this time.

“You know what I mean, asshole!” Virgil snaps, though by now he was fully giggling.

“I know,” Roman says. “I'm only teasing, love.”

* * *

Later in the evening, after Roman had seen to Virgil's requests (taking a well needed shower and having Patton see to his wounds), the two of them were back in his room; lounging on the bed in their pajamas while they took turns choosing different movies to watch. A relaxing, well deserved end to a hectic day.

Roman had been right in assuming that Virgil couldn't handle that much physical affection, as the anxious Side had nervously admitted this to him right before they had settled down. While the desire to cuddle the hell out of his boyfriend was there, Roman completely understood that Virgil needed his space and he was more than happy to give that to him. However...

“Actually...could you um, you know...”

Virgil, who had been comfortable enough to at least rest his head on Roman's thigh as he stretched out across the bed, runs a hand through his own hair and then not-so-subtly gestures towards Roman's hand.

Roman beamed, easily deciphering Virgil's shy request, and then happily obliged.

He should have been content with that, his fingers gliding gracefully through Virgil's silky hair, the two of them drifting off to sleep as the animated _Alice in Wonderland_ played on in the background (Virgil's choice)...but Roman couldn't help but let his mind wander back to what Virgil had said to him hours ago.

_“...what if one day you reach your limit and no one's around to help you...”_

Virgil had always been extra anxious when Roman would go off on a quest, even long before the two of them had got together. It had taken him a while to see past the harsh remarks Virgil would throw at him whenever Roman would announce he was setting off ( _“We'll be sure to give your ass a proper burial after that dragon bites it off.”_ ) but eventually, he had realized that it was just Virgil's way of covering up his actual concern. To be fair, he had every right to be worried, as the Realm of Dreams was a dangerous place and a lot could go wrong if one ventured in unprepared, but Virgil had never doubted that Roman would always come back home victorious (his concern was mainly just with whether or not he returned with all his limbs intact). This talk of Roman “reaching his limit?” ...this was new.

Someone was putting these thoughts, these _fears_ , into Virgil's head and Roman was almost positive he knew who to blame.

Roman's attention is drawn back to Virgil for a moment as the anxious Side stretches and then sighs, utterly content with Roman gently massaging his scalp. He turns his head to glance back at Roman and gives him a smile before going back to watching the movie.

More than anything, Roman would love to just tuck Virgil into bed then snuggle up next to him and talk late into the night until they both fell asleep, as had become a pleasant routine over the past few weeks...but he couldn't keep letting this go. They finally needed to talk about Belinda.

Roman rests his head against the headboard and closes his eyes, taking a moment to silently pray that this doesn't goes as horribly as he assumed it will.

“Verge?” he asks, now watching Virgil's movements carefully.

Virgil doesn't move from his spot but he gives Roman a little hum of acknowledgment. His eyes were becoming heavy lidded, right on the edge of falling asleep.

Roman pulls his fingers loose from Virgil's hair (and earns a displeased whine in response) then asks, “How did your walk back with Belinda go?”

Virgil visibly tenses up, his entire body going rigid, though he doesn't take his eyes off the TV. A minute passes and he stays silent.

“She...didn't give you a hard time, did she?” Roman goes on to ask, hesitantly.

Alice was currently asking the Cheshire Cat which way she ought to go and the cat was telling her that it depended on exactly where she wanted to get to. Virgil's eyes were wide open now, still focused straight ahead at the screen while the scene played on, but it was obvious his mind was somewhere else.

It takes another minute before he finally answers with an unconvincing, “...no. She was fine.”

Roman reaches out to place a hand on Virgil's shoulder but he quickly pulls back when Virgil flinches and actually starts to curl into himself. He sighs and says, “Hey...you know you can tell me if something happened, right?”

Roman hated to see Virgil so stressed out but he needed to push because there was no way in hell he was taking Virgil back to the garden until he got some answers. He couldn't stand the thought of making his love unhappy, as the garden meant a lot to Virgil and he would undoubtedly be upset with Roman's decision, but his safety came before anything else.

Roman really thought he could trust Belinda but now...now he wasn't so sure.

Virgil groans and rolls over, the back of his head resting against Roman's thigh as he stared up at the ceiling. Finally he says, “It's not that I'm scared to tell you, it's just...” He runs his hands over his face and then flops his arms to side. “It's a lot, Ro, and I don't really know where to start.”

Quietly, Roman says, “ You still haven't told me what happened between the two of you in the cottage. You can start there.”

Virgil bites down on his lip nervously. “It's probably all just a bunch of bullshit anyway,” he says, turning his head towards Roman. “I don't want to bother you with—”

Roman crosses his arms and gives Virgil a look that stops him mid sentence. A look that roughly translated to, _really? This again?_

Virgil gets the idea right away and he chuckles lowly. “Yeah, I know. I can bother you whenever I want, right?”

Roman rolls his eyes and says, “That's not exactly how I would word it but, yes, basically.”

The smile Virgil gives him doesn't last for more than a few seconds before it falls and he's turning to look up at the ceiling again, still so hesitant to go on.

“...would it help if I went first?” Roman asks, against his better judgment.

Virgil glances over at him and raises an eyebrow, staying quiet.

He had debated on whether or not he should just let this little detail go completely, thinking it would only do more harm than good to tell Virgil, but perhaps if Virgil understood why talking about this was so important, he would finally open up.

“When Belinda dragged you off into her cottage that day,” Roman starts, carefully watching Virgil's reactions, “she cast a spell on the door to keep me from listening in on your conversation.”

Virgil's eyes go wide as he whispers, “What?”

“It was a silencing charm,” he goes on. “It keeps any sound, no matter how loud, from escaping the room it was cast in, so—”

Roman starts back as Virgil suddenly sits up in bed and snaps, “And you seriously didn't think this was important enough to tell me?!”

All things considered, Roman couldn't help the defensive tone he took on as he replies, “No, it's just that I didn't want to give you any more to worry about since you already had so much going on with Thomas!”

He doesn't miss the way Virgil's eyes narrow at that, but Roman starts to press on anyway. “Verge, you have to understand that—”

“No, I totally get it,” Virgil interrupts. “You didn’t want me to freak out and panic on you again, is that it?”

Roman gasps. “You know that's not what I meant! I just hate seeing you so upset when I can—”

“I'm not made out of fucking glass, Roman!”

He stares at Virgil, completely speechless, and Virgil just glares right back until there's a thick, uncomfortable silence hanging in the air.

Finally, Virgil lets out a heavy sigh and looks down at his hands in his lap. His voice is softer than before but still laced with frustration as he says, “Look, I know I get upset over the dumbest shit but...I'm trying, okay? I'm trying to not always over think everything and I'm trying to tell those messed up voices in my head to fuck off when they get too loud and—”

Roman almost desperately jumps in. “I can see that, Virgil! Hell, anyone can see how hard you're trying!” He sighs and then his voice softens somewhat as he says, “You've come so far over the past few years and...I can't begin to tell you how proud I am.”

There's another beat of silence before Virgil looks up at Roman and whispers, “Yeah well, I wouldn’t have ever gotten to this point without you, Ro.”

Roman shakes his head. “When are you going to start giving yourself more credit, V?” he asks, smiling sadly. “All I did was give you my support, but it's not like I forced you to change. You made that decision on your own.”

Virgil, after another moment, reaches over and takes Roman's hand in his. “I...I guess,” he says, though it was obvious he wasn't entirely convinced by Roman's words. “You did kinda force your way into my space though.” He laughs quietly and then whispers, “For the record...I'm glad you did.”

Roman swallows and does his best to hold it together. This was certainly not how he imagined their talk going tonight, yet here they are.

Virgil suddenly huffs out a frustrated sigh and then asks, “What the hell are we doing?” Though his question did sound sincere, Roman still got the feeling that Virgil was just desperate to move the conversation along.

Before he can answer him, Virgil asks. “Are we fighting again?”

Roman grips Virgil's hand a little tighter and says, “No, I don't think we are. At least, I hope we're not.”

Virgil closes his eyes and lets out a heavy sigh.“Good,” he mutters. “That's...that's good.” 

When he speaks again, looking back over at Roman, he says, “Babe, no matter how far I've supposedly come, I'm still Anxiety. There's a million things that can set me off, it's not like I can really help it...that's just who I am”

To his surprise, Virgil actually moves up the bed until he's kneeling at Roman's side. Holding his gaze, Virgil takes Roman's hand within both of his own and says, voice soft but firm, “You can't protect me from everything, Roman.”

_“Ah, of course. I see now...You think he's weak and can't take care of himself, I understand.”_

Belinda's words replay in his head, as Virgil gives him a sad smile. Roman honestly didn't believe that; Virgil wasn't weak, neither physically or mentally. Virgil was...Virgil was the bravest person he knew. He had to fight with himself every single day, and Roman knew first hand how exhausting that could be, but Virgil still kept on for Thomas, for all of them. Yet...

“I know,” Roman says, and he can't help but laugh a little, though it's cold and hollow. “But, Virgil...can you really blame me for trying?”

Of course he wanted to protect the love of his life, whether it was from something trying to physically harm him or just little things that made him upset. He wanted Virgil to always be happy and at ease....could anyone really fault him for that?

Virgil stared at him silently, brows furrowed as his eyes traced over Roman's face. Was he searching for something? Was he angry? Was he trying to understand?

Roman pulls his hand out of Virgil's with a sigh and says, “You're right though, I should have told you about the enchantment right away. I apologize. I want you to know I...um...oh.” 

Virgil, without a word, had moved to straddle Roman's waist, seating himself down on his lap. Roman's breath hitched and his hands immediately moved on their own to hover over Virgil's hips, waiting for permission.

“Verge? Are you sure this is—mmph!”

He’s effectively cut off as Virgil crashes their lips together, taking Roman's face in his hands and pulling him in impossibly close. As surprising as it was, Roman doesn't waste any time wrapping his arms around Virgil's waist and pulling him flush against him; kissing him back, but letting Virgil take the lead.

When Virgil pulls away, and after the two of them take in a gasp of air, he says, “I'll forgive you if you forgive me for yelling at you.”

Feeling lightheaded and practically high from the sudden kiss, Roman beams.

“Deal,” he replies, breathless.

Virgil strokes his thumb over the thin, white scar that now sat across Roman's cheek where the cut once was and says, “I really do appreciate you looking out for me, okay? I need you to know that.” He leans in again, his lips brushing against Roman's as he goes on. “Just...you don't need to shield me from every little thing. I can take care of myself.”

Roman sighs but gives him an understanding hum in response. He tries not to think about how Virgil spent most of his existence alone, forced to handle everything by himself even at times when he desperately needed help. Roman doesn't try to tell him how it wasn't like that anymore and that he would come to his aid in a heartbeat if Virgil only asked of him. 

Instead, he draws Virgil in for another kiss. While it's returned, it doesn't last nearly as long as Roman would have liked. As enthusiastic as Virgil's kisses were, he still felt somewhat tense within Roman's grip.

“I really don't mean to be so overprotective,” Roman whispers.

Virgil laughs and Roman can feel the vibrations against his own chest. “You're not, don't worry,” he assures him. “You know I'd tell you if you were being—ah!”

Roman, who had dared to trail his lips down Virgil's neck to nip at his shoulder, freezes in place.

“...too much?” he asks.

“Too much,” Virgil responds, blushing a bright pink but rigid and tense in Roman's lap.

Roman doesn't hesitate to pull away from him some. Leaning back against the headboard, he lets go of Virgil's waist to give him plenty of space. Instantly, Virgil's tense shoulders begin to relax.

“Sorry,” Roman says, grinning sheepishly, and Virgil only rolls his eyes at him. Then, bringing the conversation back around, he says, “I...I just care about you, Virgil. If that wasn't extremely obvious by now.”

Virgil shakes his head but smiles and then he leans forward to kiss him quick on the lips. As he maneuvers around in Roman's lap, settling down comfortably between his legs with his back against his chest, Virgil says in that dry way he had of speaking, “You're seriously the biggest sap.”

Roman laughs and leans forward to rest his chin on the top of Virgil's head (though he keeps his hands planted on the bed, not wanting Virgil to feel too uncomfortable).

“As if you're any better,” he says. “Aren't you supposed to be the dark, intimidating one? I think you're losing your edge, Anxiety.”

Virgil snorts and reaches up to push Roman's head away. “How dare you,” he growls lightly.

There's a comfortable moment of silence between the two of them; Virgil just leaning back against Roman with his eyes closed and Roman reveling in the feeling of having his boyfriend so close. Roman could snap his fingers to dim the lights and end their night right here and now. They could crawl under the covers and go to sleep...but, even though part of him wanted to just let it go at this point, there was still something they needed to discuss.

“Virgil?” Roman asks. “Could you _please_ tell me what happened with Belinda that day?”

Virgil frowns and Roman can feel his shoulders start to tense up again. “I don't know, man, she just...”

He gives a frustrated huff and opens his eyes, then, tilting his head back to look at Roman, Virgil _finally_ opens up.

“After she dragged me into her house, all she did was ask me about my wings and...about the power I attacked her with.”

For some reason, Virgil looks down at his left hand and starts flexing it slowly; open and closed, open and closed.

The subject of Virgil's magic was something that had been in the back of Roman's mind for a while now, though he really didn't see any point in bringing it up. The only reason he would have wanted to talk about it at all was because any type of magic fascinated him, but Virgil had obviously not been as excited about his own display as Roman had been. That was fine, it really wasn't that big of a deal seeing as how all of the Sides had some sort of power. Having wings he could use to not only fly, but knock back other types of magical projectiles just happened to be Virgil's.

Really, Roman didn't understand why Belinda was seemingly so obsessed with such a small ability. 

“That's not all though, is it?” Roman asks.

Virgil sets his hand back down on the sheets, though he still stares at it. “No,” he replies. “After that, she said she was surprised that I had a 'kind heart' even though I'm...Thomas' fear.”

Roman just nodded and stayed quiet, listening intently. 

Virgil glances back at him again and says, “Then after all that she asked me if I would do _anything_ to protect you guys.” He snorts. “I told her yeah, of course I would, no shit.” 

...what the hell was Belinda playing at? Asking Virgil if he would protect all of them? While Virgil did look out for them, making sure to keep Thomas especially, safe and out of any trouble, it did not fall on him to actually _fight_ for them. Virgil watched from afar, bringing problems to their immediate attention if action need to be taken.

 _Roman_ fought for them. _Roman_ protected them. _Roman_ was their sworn knight.

He was really hoping he could piece whatever plot Belinda was brewing together from Virgil's explanation, but now Roman was just as confused as ever.

“That was pretty much it before you came in and rescued me,” Virgil says with a shrug. “I meant it when I said I thought it was all a load of crap. Figured she was just playing some weird game.”

Before Roman can respond, Virgil goes on to ask, “It is all just a game, right? She's like, a little kid so...none of this actually means anything...right?”

He could see why Virgil would have initially seen all of this as just another one of Belinda's strange quirks and honestly, Roman would have thought the same thing if it had just ended there. If Belinda had backed off when Roman had originally asked her to. But she kept pushing. Belinda was pushing for _something_ and Roman still had no idea where it was all going.

“Sure, it's...nothing,” Roman tells him, and he knows right away by the look the younger Side gives him that Virgil knew he was full of it. He pretends he doesn't notice his suspicion and asks, “So what happened today? During your walk back to the gate.”

Virgil doesn't answer him right away. He just draws his knees up to his chest and wraps his arms around his legs with a heavy sigh.

“Virgil?”

Virgil hugs his knees tight and shakes his head. “I...she just...” 

With an exasperated groan he finally says, “Fuck, Roman, I really don't want to talk about it tonight.”

Well that was extremely disconcerting.

As gently as he possibly could, so Virgil hopefully wouldn't pick up on his frustration, Roman says, “Darling, please. Did...did she hurt you? Please, if something truly terrible happened I—”

Virgil quickly shakes his head. “She didn't do anything, I mean like, she didn't hurt me at least. She...it wasn't even that bad it was just...a lot to take in.”

Virgil glances around and actually winces as he sees the worried frown set on Roman's face. “I just need some time to think about it on my own, okay?” he says, practically begging for Roman to drop it.

Roman sighs. “Virgil...”

“Look, I swear to god I'll tell you everything soon. Just give me a couple of days.” 

When Roman still doesn't look convinced, Virgil adds on a soft, “Please?”

Roman knew he didn't have the right to press Virgil any further when he had his own secrets to hide so, finally, he nods and says, “Alright. I understand”

Virgil looked incredibly relieved.

His trust in Belinda may currently be in question but Roman had no doubt in Virgil. All he could do now was wait until he was ready to talk.

“Well then, if that's all, I think we should go back to enjoying the rest of our night,” Roman says, trying to sound cheerful despite of everything. 

He gestures to the movie that after all this time, was finally nearing the end; any minute now and the credits would start rolling. “ We've surely deserved it after...”

Virgil was staring off to the side, his eyes unfocused. “Actually...” he says, before Roman could question him, “there was one more thing.”

God, Roman really wanted this damn night to end already. 

“What is it?” he asks calmly.

“It's probably nothing but, Belinda called all of us princes? And she said that I was the... _Prince of Shadows._ ” 

Virgil shifts around so he can face Roman and asks, “Does that mean anything?”

Roman knew he really shouldn't be surprised at this point, but he still can't help but feel hot anger bubble up inside of him. _Of course_ Belinda would bring up the _'each of you are princes in your own right'_ thing to Virgil. She wouldn't see anything wrong with dubbing the literal embodiment of anxiety the Prince of Shadows after only just meeting him. It was only a title after all, what was so distressing about that?

At least one thing had been made clear, this must have been why Virgil had thought he was corrupting Roman's realm with his presence. Shadows and nightmares usually go hand in hand, after all.

“Oh shit,” Virgil whispers, seeing the anger flash across Roman's face. “It's bad, isn't it? Fuck, I knew it...”

Pushing aside his irritation as best as he could, Roman says, “Honestly, love? Belinda came up with those names on her own, so I really have no idea if they mean anything significant. I seriously doubt it though.”

When Virgil doesn't seem any less convinced, he adds, “For as long as I can remember, Belinda has called all of us princes. It's probably just a part of her charm.”

“Probably?”

Roman gives him a smile. “I know this is easier said than done, but try not to worry about this too much, alright?”

“...yeah, okay,” Virgil finally says with a sigh, and Roman is pleased to see a genuine smile grace his pale face.

Virgil turns back to the TV and clicks his tongue when he sees the credits slowly rolling down the screen. “Why did you have to bring all this crap up during _my_ pick?” he grumbles.

“You can pick the next one to make up for it,” Roman says, picking up Virgil's hand to kiss it. Though he still mutters, almost inaudibly, “Brat.”

Virgil leans back into his chest and pats Roman's cheek with a satisfied smirk.

* * *

Somehow, Virgil ended up curled into Roman's left side, arms wrapped around his bicep as _Fantasia_ played on. Both sets of eyes were on the screen but Roman was barely paying attention, as his mind was still reeling with all of the information that had come to light that evening; trying, and failing, to put the pieces together.

“So...what are you?”

“Hm?” Roman replies absently, barely registering what Virgil had asked. 

Virgil, his cheek adorably smushed up against Roman's arm, looks up at him and says, “I was just thinking...Belinda called Patton the Prince of Heart, and Logan was the Prince of Reason. Then there's me.” He snorts. “Guess it could have been something way worse than Shadows, huh?”

Now _that_ finally snaps Roman's attention fully onto Virgil.

Virgil goes on, half asleep and completely oblivious to the fear currently written all over Roman's face. “I just realized she never mentioned your, uh, title? Or whatever?”

Roman was so thankful that Virgil wasn't laying across his chest, otherwise he would have surely felt how fast his heart was racing.

With a yawn, Virgil finally asks, “Anyway. What are you the prince of, Princey?”

There's a brief moment where Roman seriously considers lying to him, giving Virgil a false name or just claiming he didn't have a title at all, but that moment quickly passes into a feeling of disgust. What was wrong with him? How could he so easily consider lying right to his boyfriend's face...again?

No, maybe he wasn't quite ready to tell Virgil _everything_ but...this he could do.

“Belinda calls me the _Prince of Hopes and Dreams,_ " he deadpans.

It was only a stupid title, one that held no significance at all, so it shouldn't feel so damn heavy falling out of his mouth, right? It shouldn't _hurt_ to say, right?

Virgil sits up a little, his eyes widening. “Dude, Hopes _and_ Dreams?”

Forcing a smile, Roman simply replies, “Yep.”

Virgil settles back down against Roman's side and nuzzles his face into his arm; he can just barely feel him grinning against his skin.

“Geeeeez, Ro,” Virgil says, giggling in the exhausted state he was in, “what makes you so special that you get _two_ titles?” He snorts again as he drawls out the “two.”

The smile he gives Virgil is at least slightly more genuine now. “I mean, are you really surprised?” Roman asks. “Look who you're talking about here, I am _the_ prince..”

Virgil only responds with more giggles but they were much quieter now. His eyes had closed and his grip on Roman's arm was loosening as he finally started to drift off to sleep.

Once Virgil's soft snores fill the room, Roman waves the movie off with his hand, dims the lights with a twirl of his fingers and then carefully slips Virgil off of him so he can work on tucking him into bed. Moments later, Roman is snuggling up close behind him; tucking his arms against Virgil's back instead of wrapping them around his chest, just to make sure Virgil didn't wake up feeling trapped.

The mess of thoughts that had been plaguing Roman's mind don't grant him any mercy that night. As tired as he was, and as warm and comforting the body against his chest felt, he doesn't end up sleeping at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Sorry for the delay, guys. Just been having a hard time motivating myself + my mental health is still Super Freaking Bad. Same old, same old, you know how it goes.
> 
> Anyway, _next chapter_ I swear you’re getting the Glasses Gays. Promise.  <3 Here, I’ll give you guys two little facts about the next chapter now since I won’t be able to update for a while: It takes place in only Patton and Logan’s perspectives _and_ you’ll get to see Patton’s powers in action.

**Author's Note:**

>  **Tumblr:** [@Princeofdespair](https://princeofdespair.tumblr.com/)


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